Smallville
by Jessica Cornell
Summary: ON HIATUS*Lois disapears one year into the future and is captured by Zod. She is attracted to him but also hates him After months of captivity, she escapes back to her time, barely remembering anything, but Zod follows her in order to give his soldiers Clarks blood
1. Chapter 1

A Kryptonian guard dragged Lois through the double doors of Lex Luthor's former study. She threw Lois down on the floor and she landed hard on her knees. Pain shot up her legs. She swore violently and glared over her shoulder at her.

"Hey Glamazon, watch it."

The woman stepped forward looking coldly down at her and Lois inwardly gulped, though her face held the same bravado that it usually did. Oh well. If she was going to die, she'd die fighting.

"Lois Lane," came a smooth accented voice out of nowhere.

She snapped her head forward and did a double take. A very handsome man dressed all in black sat on a large throne-like chair where Lex's desk used to be. His black hair fell in careless waves to the side. His whole personage was impressive (to some people at least, she thought with a sniff), but, it was his eyes that stood out against his pale face. They were black and unfeeling and … familiar.

She looked incredulously at him. "Agent Zod? Is that you?"

He looked impassively at her, but his eyes were burning with curiosity. "It's _General_ Zod, actually. 'Agent' was just my alias while I was stuck living life as a pathetic human."

Her curiosity immediately turned to irritation and anger. Pathetic human? Who the hell did he think he was? Why was he being such a jerk to her?

Zod ignored her mounting anger and stood up slowly, never breaking eye contact. He paced in front of her kneeling form. "Lois Lane," he murmured again, as if in great thought, "What have you been up to all this time? Everyone thought you were dead."

What was she supposed to say? Lois looked down at the floor with uneasiness. All she had to go on was what Clark had told her and it wasn't much. All she knew was that she had arrived here three weeks ago exactly a year from when she had wrestled with Tess at he Daily Planet and everything had flashed brilliant white. She was in the future somehow. A crappy future.

As if that wasn't hard enough to swallow, Clark had then told her that eventually the monstrosity of what was now their sun was going to suck the planet in and then blow up. Fortunately, he'd told her they only had a couple decades at best before the planet froze over and wiped out all human life. At least they wouldn't be around for the sun-sucking event.

On the down side? Until the planet froze over, she was stuck in a post-apocalyptic future Earth ruled by psychopathic 'roid ragers. Great.

"Ow!" A sharp pain in her back caused her look up at Zod who was waiting expectantly for her answer. She glared at him. "What?"

"Where have you been?"

"That's none of your business," she snapped, eyeing him up and down with contempt. "Where's Clark?"

He smiled at her coldly and held up a hand to stop Raina from striking her. "Stand up," he ordered and Raina jerked Lois to her feet.

"Listen Commando, I don't know what's going on here, but this whole intimidation thing," she gestured at the space between them, "it isn't going to work. My dad was a general. He taught me all the tricks."

He stopped moving and looked at her fully. "Lois, I haven't even begun to intimidate you. You'll know when I do," he said, dropping his voice and leaning closer. "Now, where have you been the past year? Earth is entirely under my control now and I would've noticed if Kal-El's girlfriend had been hiding somewhere."

She was confused. "Kal-El?"

He looked at her with distaste. He obviously didn't like Clark. "Yes, Kal-EL. The last son of Krypton," he said sarcastically, enjoying her look of confusion. "Though you probably know him as Clark Kent."

"Who's Krypton? What the hell are you talking about?"

Krypton. He missed it so badly. "It's not a 'who'. It's a planet. _Was_ a planet," he corrected, looking out the window at the alien landscape. The pain in his voice was evident. "A planet that is no more." He turned back after a moment. "And Clark is from it, as we all are."

Everything he'd just told her slammed around in her head at a dizzying pace. It didn't make sense.

"I don't know what you're on, buddy, but Clark? An alien? He wears flannel," she protested. "He's the King of the Corn. His favorite pastime is counting the cows."

But, all the times he had disappeared without explanation. Or appeared just when she needed him the most. Or just his general, all-around weirdness. Don't get her wrong. She thought Clark was totally hot and lately all she could think about was ripping his clothes off. In fact when she'd been captured they had just been finishing up a three week long flesh-fest.

But, being an alien would explain everything that was wrong with him. That was something to think about.

"I assure you that despite his flaws in entertainment and fashion, he most certainly is an alien to your planet."

"What happened to him?" she asked abruptly, "When we were captured your drones dragged him off somewhere. I want to know where." She didn't know how much her 'no nonsense' tone amused him.

"Ah yes, you two have become quite close I hear." He gave her a wicked smile. "Very, very close."

Raina snickered behind her and Lois' face flamed with angry embarrassment. She'd waited a long time to be with Clark and no one was going to cheapen it with callous words meant to demean her.

"Clark is twice the man you'll ever be," she retorted. Her jaw clenched stubbornly, pursing her lips. No one was going to insult Clark. Except maybe her.

Zod couldn't help but glance down at her lips. They were soft and perfect. For a human, Lois was beautiful. Heartbreakingly so. He remembered when she'd tried to save him after one of their human experiments went psychotic and tried to kill them all. Everyone the man kidnapped had been murdered except Faora's sister. Clark had shown up just in time, while Zod had been powerless to help, thanks to Jor-El.

But, Lois had shown real skill and courage in the face of danger. She'd tried to keep him alive as he lay bleeding out on the dirty floor. He'd not ever forgotten the terror in her eyes. It had been for him. In that second, he'd been stunned that a human could care about someone they barely even knew and it had changed him. Slightly.

Thankfully, just as he had once risked his life to save Faora from enemy hands, so had Clark arrived in time to save Lois. And in the process him too. That also had stunned him. Clark should have let him die. He unwittingly had given him the power to conquer the world and he knew that given the chance, Clark would not repeat his mistake.

"Clark Kent is nothing. You've been with him, seen how he chooses to live. He could have been one of us, but instead he chose humans over his own people. Without the yellow sun, he's powerless against me." He stepped closer to her not yet finished with his rant. "I only keep him alive to make absolutely sure that he knows his place… and who put him there. I sug_gest_," he said forcefully, "that you cooperate unless you want to share the rest of your species fate."

Lois stared him right in the eye. "Never," she hissed venomously.

He was in front of her quicker than she could blink, taking her off guard. Raina held her in place with an iron grip as he got within inches of her face. His eyes flicked over it quickly, noting the fear she was trying to mask. She was uncomfortable with him being this close to her.

But, she was hiding something from him and he wanted to know what it was. She froze as his hand went to her waist . She swallowed.

"What are you doing?" she asked quickly.

Fingertips traveled lightly down past the waistband of her jeans and to… she sucked in a breath. _Her front pocket_. He knew about the ring.

He locked eyes with her arrogantly and roughly forced his way into her pocket. Their bodies were so close they almost touched. She was humiliated by his blatant disregard for her body or personal space, but refused to give him the satisfaction of looking away. She felt his fingers slide over the ring and exhaled quickly.

He sneered at her fear, knowing exactly what he was doing to her. He withdrew his hand, clutching the black ring that she'd been wearing on her hand when she was brought in.

He peered closely at it. The symbols were unmistakable. It was a Kryptonian ring. And powerful. He could feel it.

"Raina," he said, not looking up again, "take Miss Lane to the prisoner's quarters. And be sure and show her a little Kryptonian hospitality."


	2. Chapter 2

Kryptonian hospitality? Kryptonian _masochism_ was more like it. She _had _to figure out a way to get back to the past. The future, her present, was a nightmare. The 'prisoner's quarters' turned out to be the old Luthor wine cellar. Lois looked around in disgust. They hadn't even left any of the wine.

The Amazon had dragged her down here and tied her hands and feet to a pole that had been shoved into the ground through solid concrete. Her shoulders and knees were aching from being in the same position for hours and her long dark hair was hot and sticking to the back of her neck. Clark had said that the ring was important, that it could get her back to the past where she belonged. She just had to get it from Zod somehow.

Thinking of Clark brought tears to her eyes. They had made love for the first time in an old abandoned house, just after she'd arrived here. They'd only had a mattress, some sheets, and each other but that had been enough. Making love to Clark had meant something to her that nothing else ever had. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes and she mentally slapped herself.

_Do you want those assholes coming in here, thinking you're crying because of them? Get it together, Lane. _

Those silent, angry words resounded throughout her head almost as if she'd spoken aloud.

XXXXX

Zod sat on his throne staring at the ring he'd taken from Lois. What did it do? He suspected, but without confirmation he wouldn't let himself barely even think it. The letdown would be horrible. Fortunately, he had within his grasp the one person who would know.

He heard the doors open and a guard came in. It was Terim.

"Tess, sir." He stood at attention waiting for a response.

Zod flicked his hand and Terim stepped aside to let Tess through. She strode in smiling winningly at Zod and he smiled back, deliberately twirling the ring where he knew she could see it.

As expected, as soon as she laid eyes upon it she stopped up short, staring back and forth between the ring and Zod. He stood up, walking slowly toward her. He would never get tired of seeing fear in her eyes. "Tess, do you know what this is?"

She swallowed. "A ring. Where'd you get it?"

"My men discovered Clark Kent's hideout this morning. Miss Lane was with him."

Her eyes widened. "Lois? She's here? But, how?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. But, this ring has something to do with it. You're the last person who saw her before she disappeared."

She had to be careful with what she said to him. She'd worked hard to gain his trust the past year and she would _not_ ruin it. She was finally getting somewhere with him. They'd been sleeping together off and on for months now and it was only a matter of time before he made it official.

She cleared her throat and schooled her expression. "Lois and I were fighting over the contents of this box about a year ago. She got to it first and when she touched whatever was inside it, she just… disappeared. There was a bright light."

"You've told me this before. But, that doesn't answer my question. How do you know this ring?"

She hesitated for a second, then went ahead. "Clark had it before it was stolen from him. I suspected it was in the box, but I couldn't be sure. These people from- the future gave it to him."

Interesting. "And what does it do?"

"I'm not sure. I always suspected that it was some sort of portal. To what, I don't know."

He regarded her silently for a moment. "And you decided to omit this information when I first asked you because…?"

"I-," she began, but hesitated. "I wasn't sure and Lois was gone. No one knew where she was, not even Clark. I didn't think it mattered."

He sneered at her and turned away. "Thankfully, my men are more diligent than you. Otherwise this would be in Clark's hands right now instead of mine." 

Her jaw clenched, but she stayed silent.

"How does it work?"

"I don't know. Clark's the only one who does. Maybe he told Lois something." She saw a gleam in his eye and thought quickly. Tess was a bitch, for sure. But, she didn't want Lois tortured. "But, I doubt it. He loves her. He would never put her life in danger by telling her his secrets." 

He stared at the ring and murmured softly, "But, how to get Clark to tell _me_ his secrets?"

Tess relaxed her posture and smiled slowly with a hint of suggestion. She drew closer. "You have Lois Lane, don't you? She's the most important thing to Clark. More important than his friends even. She'd make a great bargaining chip."

The beginnings of a plan began forming in his mind. He smiled at Tess who did a good job of hiding her relief. Almost.

"Should I come to your room tonight?" she asked in a low voice, leaning over to kiss him.

He stopped her, still staring at the ring. "No. Tonight won't work. I'm afraid I'll be tied up with Lois."

She frowned and drew back. "She's here? In the mansion? Can I see her?"

_Yeah right_, he thought humorlessly. _So you can try and get to the truth first?_

He ran a finger down the bridge of her nose and shook his head. "Not tonight. " He paused. "Tomorrow. You can see her tomorrow." Then he walked out of the room leaving her alone to contemplate what had just transpired and all the implications of it.

XXXXX

Lois had spent two more hours with her arms behind her back, trying to get free. The ropes were cutting into her wrists and blood was trickling down to the concrete floor below. Her knees and legs were screaming in agony as numbness slowly took over. She didn't want to give up trying to escape, but fatigue was taking over as well as pain. Her head rested against the pole and every now and then her eyes would close.

_Just to rest them_, she told herself stubbornly. There had been no weakness in the pole or rope that she had been able to find, so she had to do the next best thing. Rest and conserve energy. Sooner or later they had to untie her and when they did…

Suddenly, her head jerked up as the doors to the cellar opened and two men walked through. They were dressed in all-black uniforms. They were soldiers, she realized. She'd recognize a soldier a mile away, no matter what planet they came from. One was carrying a plate and a cup, but he set it down out of her reach. She had to stop her eyes from following it. Instead, she stared challengingly up at her captors.

"General Zod has commanded that you be interrogated. If you cooperate you will not be harmed and you will be allowed food and water to sustain your pathetic existence."

The soldier stood in front of her, reciting it like he was a robot. Soldiers were all alike. She smirked at his arrogance.

"Nice monologue, Captain Asshole," she responded smartly. "Oh, that's just a little word we humans here on Earth like to call people who resemble the—"

"I am very familiar with your crude language," he interrupted. "Should you refuse to cooperate, we have been ordered to resort to more –painful—measures." 

She swallowed hard and put on a false bravado. "I've already told your Commander everything I know."

"Where are the rebel headquarters? The ones who are friends of Kal-El?"

The other man who'd been silent so far walked over and stood behind her. She nervously tried to see what he was doing, but her neck wouldn't turn that far.

Her wrists suddenly fell apart as she hissed as burning pain radiated from them. "What the hell was that?" she gritted out, bringing her sore arms to her chest. Her wrists _literally_ had burns on them.

They didn't pay her any attention. "Where do Kal-El's friends reside?"

She glared at him. "The name's Clark, pal, and I have no idea where they are." Her ankles were freed in the same manner and she was jerked upright to be held in place. She couldn't stand on her own yet anyway, and the pins-and-needles feeling was starting to prickle her legs.

The man held her tight and felt like a steel wall while the other really chatty one walked closer to her. He had light blonde hair combed straight back and inhumanly blue eyes. _Arrogant bastard_, she thought contemptuously. Her body instinctively readied itself for any pain he might be about to inflict on her.

"This is your last chance to tell us what we want to know," he said calmly.

Her heart was pounding with fear and adrenaline and he smiled. "Your heartbeat is as quick as that of a mouse. It's obvious you're frightened. Cooperate and we'll leave you alone."

She tried to be reasonable even though her temper was starting to rise. She spoke in a semi-calm tone. "I've already told you, Clark didn't show me anything other than the house you guys found me in. Maybe that's it."

She almost didn't see his arm move at all. But, it did. He slapped her hard across the face and she tasted blood in her mouth. Anger vibrated through her and she turned back and spat at him.

He smiled briefly and looked down at the saliva that had barely missed his shoe. "Your little acts of rebellion do you no service. You will soon learn who your masters are." He slapped her again and it hurt far worse than the first one.

Tears unbiddingly sprang to her eyes. "You're real brave hitting a girl," she said when she had caught her breath. Her sarcasm wasn't lost on them. However they didn't seem to care.

"It is distasteful to hit an unarmed woman," the blonde conceded blandly, "However, on Krypton our women are treated more equally than yours. If necessary I will not hold back simply because of your sex."

"Don't you mean 'were' treated? After all, your planet blew up right? So using the present tense-"

That earned her another slap. She could feel her face bruising and this time was not able to keep from crying out. "I told you, I didn't know about Clark 'til that megalomaniac upstairs told me. I don't know who his friends are."

The blonde walked calmly over to a file he'd laid on an empty wine shelf against the wall. He flipped it open and scanned the contents while walking back over to her.

"Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow-,"

Shit.

"—Chloe Sullivan, aka Watchtower, Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary." He flipped it shut and looked up at her. "There are others but these three are the leaders."

"Chloe Sullivan is my cousin," she spat. "I don't know anything but if I did I wouldn't tell you."

His eyes narrowed slightly and he tossed the file carelessly onto the floor. "I guess I'll have to resort to more drastic measures. Just remember you brought this on yourself."

He moved his stare very deliberately from her eyes to her shoulder, the fleshy part right under her collarbone. Lois felt the man holding her tighten his grip on her arms and her fear level spiked.

Then suddenly, (she really thought she was going crazy) red beams of light shot from his eyes and hit her squarely in the shoulder. This was a whole new level of pain she'd never felt before.

She screamed.

Upstairs, sitting on his 'throne', Zod heard. The barest hint of a smile flicked across his lips.

Back in the cellar, Lois' had died out and her head hung limply. A cup of water to the face revived her however and she choked and spluttered before slowly raising her head. She glanced down at her shoulder and blanched when she saw the small circular ring of charred flesh that was still smoking.

"Are you ready to cooperate?"

The sick bastard didn't even feel bad for mutilating her. She hated him. "Your general has an alien ring that brought me here three weeks ago from the past. When Clark found me, he stuck me in an old crappy house right up until you guys captured us." She glared at him spitefully, beads of sweat dotting her forehead. "Then I was brought here this morning. You can torture me all you want but my story's not going to change."

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and then stepped closer. She refused to flinch even though her shoulder was stinging with pain. He grabbed her face and forced it back against his partner's chest. His blue eyes filled her vision.

"I believe you. No human would take this kind of torture without breaking."

She wanted to hit him so badly. If looks could kill the two Kryptonians they would drop dead on the spot. "We're not as pathetic as you think," she snapped.

He smiled coldly. "Yes, you are. But," he added, squeezing her face harder, "perhaps you are different. Perhaps you wouldn't sell out your friends under torture." He leaned closer. "Perhaps you're a very good actress and you're lying to me right now."

Her heart started pounding again and he smiled briefly. He held up his hand and the same lasers shot from his eyes, this time aimed at a big bulky ring on his finger. She swallowed as it began heating up in front of her eyes.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "If that is the case and I find out, I will make sure your last hours are filled with unimaginable agony."

He paused and then leaned back releasing her. She took a deep breath and he put on a neutral expression.

"Now is there anything you would like to tell me?"

She tried to slow down her breathing, to not betray her fear and shook her head. "I'm telling the truth. Clark said he couldn't tell me anything in case I got captured." _Like now,_ she thought.

He held up the glowing amber ring to his face for inspection and then jerked up her shirt so that her stomach was exposed. He was going to put it on her skin, she realized with panic. She tried to struggle, but it was still far too easy for him to press the red hot metal against her lower abdomen right above her hip bone and brand her.

She screamed again, this time with tears running down her face, as she smelled her own flesh burning again. It seemed as if the pain would never end. And then it did suddenly as the man removed his hand and stepped back.

"Are you sure?"

"Go to hell," she said, breathing hard through her nose to stay in control of the pain. Her hair fell over her face as she bent her head and closed her eyes.

He stared at her and then looked at his friend. "Release her, Dral. She knows nothing. We'll report to General Zod and await further orders."

And just like that they were gone. Dral had dropped Lois onto the floor and they both just disappeared in a gust of air. Her eyes widened as she remembered all the times she had felt just that around Clark and then looked up to find him gone. It was true. Everything Zod had said was true.

Her shoulder throbbed as she weakly tried to crawl to the food and water that was left for her. She couldn't move her arm without intense agony searing through her upper torso which only in turn forced her to remember what had happened to her. He had burned straight through her muscle tissue probably to her bone. With his eyes.

_What the hell were these monsters?_ she wondered, rolling onto the side with the ring burn. It was better than the side with the laser burn.

XXXXX

Zod listened to the reports of his two best lieutenants with frustration and remembered what Tess had said.

"She knows nothing useful, sir," Shor-Ra informed him, looking straight ahead. Dral stood at attention to his left.

"I suspected as much, but I had to be sure. And now that she knows what we're capable of she will be less willful." Zod rose form his seat and walked closer to them. "I have a plan that involves Lois Lane. In the morning I want you to announce to Alpha camp that we are going to execute out new prisoner. Invite Kal-El to join us. He's back isn't he?"

Shor-Ra nodded stoically. "Val-En and Mara threw him back in the pits this morning."

Zod placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. You're my best soldier, Shor-Ra. I know I can count on you. Now," he said in a louder, brisker tone, "I must see to Miss Lane."

At the odd looks his men gave him he explained. "Your interrogation was rather… strenuous and I need her alive for the morning." He grinned and his men followed suit, relaxing and allowing smiles to spread over their faces.

Zod turned on his heel and walked out through the double doors still laughing.

XXXXX

She blearily opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. Her head was groggy and her mouth felt like it was filled with sand.

"Ah, you're awake. Good."

That was Zod's voice, her brain registered. For a moment she had thought that maybe, just maybe, this horrible future she'd been dumped into had been just a bad dream. She re-opened her eyes and saw him standing over her, smirking arrogantly. She was instantly on her guard and tried to sit up. Lying down around him made her feel vulnerable. But, doing so caused a slicing pain in her shoulder and along her abdomen that instantly laid her out again. She closed her eyes against the nausea.

And instantly became _very_ aware that under the white sheet draped over her she was naked. She snapped her eyes open, feeling incredibly violated, and looked scathingly at him. "Where the hell are my clothes?"

He gestured to the side of the room and she saw them folded neatly on the floor. "It was necessary to remove your clothes to treat your wounds."

"Wounds that you inflicted," she said tightly. Whatever pain reliever he'd given her was making her dizzy and she closed her eyes briefly again. "It was necessary to remove the underwear too, or was that just a perk?"

He walked slowly around the cot she was lying on. "I've been a soldier for over fifteen years. I have stitched up the battle wounds of my soldiers while enemy fire flew over my head and men's screams filled the night." His face took on a haunted look. "I crossed enemy lines and dodged laser projectiles capable of destruction far beyond your human comprehension just to rescue someone very dear to me from…" He paused. "I can assure you that your modesty is safe with me."

She had kind of started to listen to him for a moment before his arrogant friggin' tone took over again. For a moment he had _almost _gained a tiny ounce of her sympathy. She knew what it was like for a soldier who'd seen war. God knows she'd seen more than enough men in her life succumb to the slow-eating madness that stemmed from it. Some like her father were born for it. Some weren't.

As she looked at him, she knew that he belonged in the former category. In another lifetime, she could've respected him and maybe even liked him. She certainly had before when she'd thought he was _Agent_ Zod. But in this lifetime, his damn voice was so arrogant and mocking that it set her teeth on edge. The knowledge that he had seen her naked for God knows how long pissed her off big time.

So she responded the only way she knew how. Bluntly and tactlessly.

"If I ever get the chance, I'm going to kill you."

He laughed and a look she didn't like came into his eyes. "A human could never kill one of us. In fact, nothing can kill one of us. That's what's so great about your planet, Miss Lane. I could snap your neck right now without exerting any pressure at all."

And then it seemed as if she blinked and he was by her cot, bending down to her level so that he was closer to her. His hand was on her throat gripping it tightly. She instinctively tried to move back but she was already pinned down with his hand. She threw a fist at his face but he knocked it away with no effort at all. She tried to draw up a knee but he grabbed it with his other hand.

He smiled at the wide-eyed fear she wasn't aware that she was showing. It was a mixture of fear, panic, and stubbornness. Humans were so fragile and ignorant. This one was almost asking for him to kill her.

A memory flashed through his mind just then of him dying on the floor and her above his prone body fighting for both of their lives. It wouldn't be very honorable of him to kill her.

His hand tightened around her throat imperceptibly and he remembered that this was a different world now. This wasn't Krypton. The same code didn't apply. "Do you understand now? I can move faster, see and hear better, and lift a hundred times more than the strongest human. And that's just the beginning."

She swallowed and looked down at the sheet that was about to fall away from her. One wrong move and she would be exposed and helpless. That was worst feeling she'd ever felt. Then she looked up at him,

"You're _not_ better than us. You're a monster. A better man wouldn't keep humans shackled up in death camps. Bodies of dead children would at least get a burial. The sun would be normal again. You are the pathetic one, not me," she said in a venomous voice, knowing that he might kill her for it. But it wasn't in her nature to cower in the face of death. She preferred to spit in it.

For a moment he really considered squeezing just a little harder and ending her forever. But, he remembered his plan and eased his grip.

"I've done what was best to ensure the survival of my species. In life, the weak are destroyed and the strong live on. Accept it."

There was one thing though that she didn't understand. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you keeping humans alive at all? Trying to ensure as slow a death for us as possible?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, "I keep humans alive because slavery is all they're fit for. To work for us and maintain the tower."

"But… the sun."

He was getting irritated. "What about it?" She was the most provoking female he'd ever met.

"Humans can't survive without a yellow sun. The animals and plants will begin dying soon and our bodies will shut down. Not to mention you're about to bring us into the next ice age."

He scowled at her. He'd never heard that before. She was lying so that he'd tear down his tower and reverse the damage he'd inflicted. Well, she didn't know him very well. "We can't feel the cold so why would I care? The red sun is what gives my people strength, thanks Jor-EL," he said bitterly. "And it reminds us of our home world, Krypton." If that damn scientist had just given them the gifts they were entitled to none of this would've happened.

She jerked her head away from his grip and quickly sat up, ignoring the shooting pain through her arm. He was surprised but didn't move away. Her face was closer and even after hours of torture and being tied up, she was beautiful. His eyes wandered to the large bruise on her cheek and then back up to her eyes. She leaned closer, clutching the sheet to cover her breasts.

It didn't however, he noticed, cover her ribs or the curve of her back.

"And that's why you're a monster."

He didn't like the way she looked at him. He had loved more deeply than a human like her ever could. Everything he'd ever done had been for Krypton and its people. Other galaxies thought Kryptonians were hard and cold and unfeeling, but that wasn't true. Their passions were simply hidden deeper.

He stood up abruptly and glared angrily down at her. "What would you know? Clark Kent, the man you _love_ so much, didn't really tell you anything about himself or where he came from, did he?" He sneered. "So keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing about."

Her temper flared. How dare he bring up Clark's secrecy to her? It was kind of a sore subject. "I know all about soldiers and war and honor. My father was a great general and a great man and he tried to be a great father." Anger tears glittered in her eyes. "And he taught me that a great leader doesn't have to crush others to get people to follow him. I don't know what kind of person you were on your planet, but here on Earth you're nothing but a power-hungry egomaniac."

"Well," he said with tightly controlled fury, walking over to her clothes and throwing them in her face, "then it's just as well you won't be alive much longer to be bothered by me. Get dressed," he ordered, smiling angrily and walking to the door, "You have a date with Clark Kent in one hour."

Then he slammed the door shut and left her pale and shaken on the cot.

**Ahhh, I really liked this chapter for some reason even though it was a pain in the ass to write. It seemed to go on forever. I'm not sure if I'm going to have Lois start up something with Zod here in the future or wait 'til she gets back to the past. Basically it's going to be just like the show in that respect. When she gets back, she won't remember anything but what she gets from flashbacks. That'll complicate things because she won't get all the information at the same time.**

**And of course will tag a long for the ride. I don't know if I'm going to have him kill his past self or just assume the same body. Because he's Kryptonian he'll keep all his memories from the future.**


	3. Chapter 3

Lois was dragged through the double doors and shoved into General Zod's 'inner sanctum'. Immediately her eyes sought out Clark and found him. "Clark!"

His face flushed with anger when he saw how she had been treated. He saw the burn mark on her arm and the bruises on her face and looked over at Zod. "What did you do to her, you bastard?"

Zod smiled thinly. "I didn't do anything. They did." He motioned to Dral and Shor-Ra who were staring at Clark stonily. "I had information that I needed to be sure of." He deliberately tossed the ring casually up in the air where Clark could see it.

He was panicking. Zod had the Legion ring and under the red sun his powers were gone. He was useless to help Lois though that didn't stop him from trying to struggle to get free. "You coward," Clark shouted, "You have to hit women to make yourself feel better."

That earned him a punch in the stomach and he doubled over in pain. Zod momentarily looked towards the window and then back to Clark. "Where are you human friends now? When you need them the most they have deserted you," he sneered. "You should have joined me when you had the chance."

He glanced slyly at Lois and nodded to Terim who was holding Clark in place. He planted a knee in his gut and then punched him in the face, knocking Clark to the floor.

"No! Clark!" Lois shrieked, trying to kick free of the man holding her arms. "Stop it you bastard."

Zod walked slowly to Lois. "If you could end his pain, would you? What if I could promise you that Clark Kent would never be harmed again? Would you pledge your allegiance to me and swear to never leave?"

Lois spat at his feet. "Never."

That earned Clark a kick to the back and Lois looked up quickly. "Okay, I swear. Just leave him alone, please," she begged, looking desperately at the man she loved on the floor.

"No, Lois, I would rather die than see you with him," Clark moaned.

Lois had tears running down her face. "And I would rather die than see you hurt or killed." 

Zod laughed. "Well, both of you are going to die so-," he shrugged, and turned away from them.

"But you said-,"

He cut her off. "I lied,' he said simply. He nodded to the guards who roughly shoved Lois to her knees, hands clamping down on her shoulders tightly. "It has certainly been interesting Lois Lane."

She glared at him.

"It is a shame that I can't keep you longer. " His eyes flicked down below her face for a moment. "But, I can't afford to keep any members of the resistance alive and since you're intimately connected with every one of them, it goes without saying that you must be destroyed also." He knelt down so that they were face to face. "Don't worry. Clark will be joining you in moments. Your death will be his ultimate blow."

She looked defiantly at him, but he could see the stark fear behind her eyes. True to form she replied, "Are you done talking yet? Can we get this over with?"

He chuckled and stood up. Shor-Ra handed him some sort of Kryptonian short sword which he leveled at her neck. Her heart was about to pound right out of her chest. She looked at Clark who was desperately struggling to get out of his captors grasp.

"I love you."

He stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry. I never wanted you to be involved."

"I know, but you still should have told me," she said, "So you're an alien from a planet full of assholes. So what? I wouldn't have thought less of you."

Zod rolled his eyes and once more glanced toward the window. He slowly raised the sword above his head, and just as he was about to remove her head with it, a whirring noise sounded by his head and it was knocked out of his grasp. He whirled around and saw Oliver Queen dressed in his ridiculous Green Arrow costume smirking at him like an idiot.

"Get them," he ordered, watching two blonde women, Watchtower and Black Canary, fly through the other windows and drop down next to Clark. Lois used the distraction to her advantage and scurried over to the rest. Chloe gave her a grim smile.

"So this is where you disappeared to." She shot green darts out of a big black gun and Lois watched in amazement as two Kryptonians went down writhing and looking like they were about to puke. Clark grabbed her and limped over to the window.

"Oliver!" he yelled, "You got an escape plan?"

Ollie didn't look at him as he ducked a mortal blow to the head, but he did laugh. "Should be on its way as we speak."

Suddenly, Lois looked over and saw a medium-sized flying aircraft rise to the window. They both smiled and climbed out, jumping as far as they could over to it. Suddenly the others came shooting out the window as well, followed by a large explosion, with orange flames licking their heels.

"Get us out of here!" Chloe screamed to the pilot and he pushed a button, sending them jetting forward with a surge that knocked Lois backward onto the grey floor. She saw the mansion smoking and stared at it in shock as they—unbelievably—made their escape.

XXXXX

Shor-Ra's face was blackened and he was extremely irritated by the fact that he had just let those humans escape. That and the nausea-inducing, potentially fatal, green bullet that Dral had just finished digging out of his body. He gritted his teeth and turned to his general.

"Sir, when should we pursue them?"

Zod was looking at a sophisticated form of the GPS system and grinned. "As soon as this red dot here stops moving."

Shor-Ra cracked a smile at his leader's ingenuity. Dral slowly began laughing as everyone brushed themselves off and smiled. The only question now was how long it would take them to clean up and rebuild the top corner of their headquarters.

Zod ran a thumb along the bottom of his lip, deep in thought. Shor-Ra knew that he only did that when he was conflicted about something. He looked up at his most trusted lieutenants and wondered how they would react to their little problem.

"I'm calling an emergency meeting," he announced, drawing looks of surprise from everyone else. "After we crush the rebellion and stamp out any last hope the humans have of escape, we have many things to discuss. Be ready." And with that he strode out of the room, leaving everyone else to wonder what was going on.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lois woke up from the deepest sleep she'd ever been in and looked around. They were in what looked like some sort of underground bunker. One that had been abandoned for awhile. Chloe had told her that her father had been killed a few months after she disappeared, when the tower was done and the aliens showed their true colors.

She'd known that her father was dead, but hearing it talked about aloud was different. She'd cried for hours afterwards. Lucy was missing also.

Then Clark had come in to talk to her, to answer her questions. They had stayed up all night just lying in each others arms. There was food and toilets and personal hygiene supplies. It wasn't the Ritz Carlton—hell, it wasn't even Motel 6—but it would do just fine for her after being stuck down in that cellar for God knows how long.

Clark told her it was only less than a day.

Her arms still ached from the ropes and being tied up and her shoulder throbbed from Zod's stitches.

"Clark, Zod has the Legion ring. Do you know what he could do with it?"

That was Chloe. Lois stood to her feet and followed the voices until she saw her and Clark and Oliver standing around a table laden with maps, talking. None of them looked happy and she bit her lip, guiltily. It was her fault that maniac had the ring. Whatever it was.

"Yes, Chloe, I know," he answered quietly. "He could go back in time and kill me when I was baby. Or use one of the portals to travel to Krypton when it was still a planet. He could do anything he wanted."

"But, does he know how to use it or what it does?" Oliver asked. "Did Lois say anything?"

He shook his head. "She said that they asked her about us and about the ring but that she didn't know anything. That implies that neither do they. Why would they torture her for information that they already knew?"

Everyone was silent for a second and Lois was about to reveal her presence but just then Chloe spoke again. "Well, I know someone that Zod has in his pocket that would be more than happy to tell him everything she knows."

Clark looked at her. "Tess," he said flatly. "How do you know for sure that she knows what the ring does?"

She shrugged. "I don't, but Lois disappeared while she and Tess were fighting over it. I'd guess that Tess had people working on it before then and that she found at least _something_ out. Why else would she steal it from Clark and almost kill Lois over it?"

Remember you love her, Lois reminded herself as Chloe's last words rang in her ears. The day Tess Mercer killed her would be the day monkeys flew out of her rear.

"I know Tess," Oliver spoke up, seriously. "She's got a tenacity that's scary and with Lex Luthor's power and money to back her up she's downright formidable. I think Chloe's right. She knows something and while it may not be enough to actually use the ring…" he paused, "It might just be enough to set Zod on the right track and doom us all."

They were all silent after that and Lois couldn't stand hiding anymore. She walked out quietly. "You're forgetting something very important about Tess, Oliver."

They all jumped and looked up surprised. Clark cocked his head. "And what's that?"

She looked at them with a grim smirk. "Tess Mercer only loves Tess Mercer. And she knows Zod very well. If she's joined him then that must means that he trusts her enough to let her know some of his secrets."

"And? How does that help us?" Chloe asked frustrated.

Lois looked at her. "Because if she did know what that ring really does, then I don't think she'd tell him, at least not all of it. She knows that if Zod found out he'd act on his information and her life would be in jeopardy as well. She's a survivor."

They all looked at each other doubtfully. "Tess is one of them now. What makes you think she wouldn't sell out her species for a chance to live forever? That's what they promised her you know," Oliver said, "To make her one of them."

"Yeah and if Zod could suddenly travel through time he'd wipe her out in a heartbeat. She's not that valuable to him, not compared to the ring. By the way, what exactly does it do?"

"Lois, you know I can't tell you that," Clark began, but she cut him off angrily.

"Clark Kent, you tell me what the hell that ring does or by God I will—"

He held up a hand. "Okay, okay. I just don't want to put you in danger any more than I have. But, I'll tell you." He took a deep breath and then started. "The people who gave it to me told me that whoever wears the ring can transport themselves to any time they want. And it gives them the ability to fly."

Lois was confused. "Then why did it transport me here, to this time? I sure as hell wouldn't have picked this. And why didn't you tell me this before when I could've actually escaped?"

Now they all looked horribly guilty and frustrated and she grew suspicious. "What?"

Clark sighed, and looked down to the floor. "I was—we were hoping that we could figure out a way to send the rest of us back with you. To try and prevent this future."

Lois went still. "So why couldn't I have just told you when I went back to the past? I would know—I could've done something." She looked back and forth between each one of them and the horrible realization dawned on her. "You weren't going to tell me anything were you? You were just going to use me as your ticket to freedom and keep me in dark."

Chloe stepped forward. "We were just trying to protect you."

Lois backed away angrily. "No you weren't. You were trying to leave me out as always."

They tried to call her back, but she walked away. Had they ever really been her friends? She understood trying to protect her, but this was going too far. She was here, for Pete's sake, in the future, with an alien time-traveling ring. It was time to let her in on the secret.

She almost laughed when she realized that it had been Zod of all people who had told her the truth. The megalomaniac psychopath.

Back at the table, the three friends looked at each other. Clark ran a hand through his hair in frustration and Chloe looked down at the floor guiltily. Oliver did the opposite. He looked up at the ceiling as if silently begging someone to help him figure this all out.

"She's right," Chloe said finally. "I was the one who was always telling you to be honest with Lana and here I am, lying to my cousin, one of my best friends."

He felt a familiar pang when he heard Lana's name. She was dead now. It had happened about six months ago and it was his fault. Zod had used her against him the same way Brainiac had. She had stabbed herself in the stomach rather than give up her friends' secrets under torture.

And now he was driving away the only other woman he'd ever loved. Oliver's expression looked as though he agreed with Chloe.

"I know Lois," he began, "and I know that if ever there was a person who could, by sheer force of will alone, alter futures and change pasts then it would be her. She's the most trustworthy person I know and she would die for us."

Clark's heart broke a little and he looked up. "That's what I'm afraid of," he said quietly.

Chloe placed a hand on his arm. "She's not Lana. Lana died bravely, but you have to trust that Lois' future might be different than hers. Either way she's in danger."

"So what do we do now?"

"We need a plan to get that ring back. And we need to keep Lois safe. If she dies here then there's no sending her back. If _we _die here then at least there's a chance that our fates can be changed."

Oliver opened his mouth to speak but just then the perimeter alarm went off with a shrill persistent beep. Without a second thought, everyone went to their weapons and grabbed them. People were panicking and rushing about trying to get to a safe hiding place.

"How the hell did they find us?" Chloe shouted above the loud noise of bodies made of lead landing on the ground above the barracks.

Clark tried to remain calm, but inwardly he was freaking out. People were going to die tonight and he couldn't stop it. His thoughts raced wildly. Then he knew. It was only thing that made sense. "It's Lois," he shouted back, "they must have planted a tracking device on her." He punched a wall and felt his hand break. "I knew it was too easy to escape."

"You have to find her," she screamed as something blasted through the door. Four Kryptonians stood like a solid wall, formidable and imposing.

Every day he saw them with their powers they were less and less like the Kryptonians he'd met when they'd first appeared a year ago. Emotion was wiped off their faces as they simply surveyed the room looking for something.

"Your pathetic rebellion has ended, traitor," Shor-Ra informed him tonelessly with just a hint of arrogance, "We are taking the human Lois Lane with us."

Clark clenched his jaw and stepped forward. "No, you're not."

The blonde man smirked slightly. "We have orders to kill you and your friends. Give us trouble and your deaths will be slow and painful. Aid us and I'll make it quick."

Before Clark could make a brash but empty threat, Oliver swung down from the ceiling smiling jovially. "Hey, so can you guys regenerate if your bodies are in pieces all over the room?"

Before the aliens could realize what he meant, Clark and Chloe were running with Oliver hot on their heels. He tossed a handful of modified grenades behind him and didn't look back.

Running sure was easier when you weren't human, Clark thought not for the first time that year. "You know that grenades can't hurt them, right?" he shouted behind him.

Oliver laughed, breathlessly. "Yeah, that's why I laced them with Kryptonite first."

Clark and Chloe shot each other a look of amazement. Their friend once again surprised them. "You're a genius, Ollie. Any ideas on how to ditch these guys?"

Oliver laughed and shook his head. "Not that much of a genius."

XXXXX

Lois sprinted down the damp hall as red flashing lights accompanied with loud wailing sirens danced in front of her eyes. In typical fashion, instead of running away from the blast, she ran towards it, knowing that her friends were down that way. Unfortunately, before she could get far something whizzed past her ear, making her stop up short.

She turned around slowly, seeing two Kryptonite soldiers dressed all in black standing there holding guns pointed at her.

"Come peacefully with us and we won't hurt you," one said, tonelessly. He was dark skinned with black eyes. "Fight us and the inevitable will happen."

She smirked with false bravado. "Oh yeah and what's that, Spaceboy? I'll kick your asses? Don't worry, I'll try to be gentle," she added mockingly, readying her body to dodge whatever was coming.

'Spaceboy' narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "You humans are all alike. Pig-headed. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Red light shot from his eyes and she just barely threw herself out of the way. She sprang back up quickly, ducking another shot. The two looked at each other and simply began walking towards her. There was nothing she could do to hurt them anyways. When she saw them advance toward her she took off running.

And ran smack dab into a hard body made of steel. She doubled over and howled in pain, clutching her face.

Spaceboy wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her up under his arm like she was a sack of potatoes. "Come," he said in the same toneless voice to his comrade, "we've got what we came for. General Zod will be pleased." He ignored the girl that was struggling against him and they both walked toward the hole in the wall that they had made.

He grabbed her wrist, startling her, and rose in the air sharply. She gave a strangled yelp and grabbed onto his arm to keep from plummeting down. He looked on her dispassionately and said, "If you don't want to die, you must put your arms around my neck."

She gave one more glance down to the rapidly shrinking rebel base and then looked back up eagerly nodding her head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just pull me up."

He did so and she put her arms around him tightly, grimacing in distaste at the closeness. They rose higher in the night sky and she saw other black clad figures shooting up in the air also. Then, everything exploded with a brilliant orange-yellow cloud.

The bastard transporting her flew higher to avoid his prisoner being scorched by the flames. Then it was quiet and Spaceboy moved his body into a horizontal flying position. Tears were rolling down her face and she didn't even notice that she had lowered her head to use his uniform as a pillow to bury her face in. If he noticed her anguish he didn't show it.

She felt a presence suddenly beside her and jerked her head up. The blonde Kryptonian who'd tortured her not so long ago was flying beside them, staring at her with narrowed eyes. In the second that she stared into them, she saw more than just the usual emotionless stoicism. There was mostly triumph, like he was rubbing her face in something but she didn't know what. And there was also something like a curiosity. Like he was waiting to see her reaction to something.

And then she knew why. In his arms he carried Chloe. Her eyes bolted to the pale face trying to see if she was still alive. But her wide unblinking blue eyes stared lifelessly at her and Lois looked at him in horror.

"You killed her."

She was stating the obvious and he didn't even bother to answer her. It was like she was in shock or something and Lois numbly turned away from him so that she didn't have to see Chloe's face. Rage was boiling up inside her and she vowed that one day she would kill him. She would do whatever it took to end his life the same way he did Chloe's.

She couldn't wait to get back to her own time. She wanted to have the playing field even when she used his face to mop the asphalt. Even if Chloe was alive when she went back, which she knew she would be, Lois would never forget this moment as long as she lived.

And she was a girl who could _really _hold a grudge.


	4. Chapter 4

**OMG, I can't believe all the reviews. Thanks to everyone. I tried to respond to most of them, but I got sick last night so I haven't gotten back to some. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the new chapter. **

Lois' face was buried in her knees. She was back in the old wine cellar now, alone for the moment. Images of Chloe's dead eyes kept flashing through her head and making her want to vomit. Why had she walked away from her? And Clark and Oliver? There might have been something she could've done, someway she could've helped. And then Chloe would still be alive.

She had cried so much in the last few hours that she was all dried up and exhausted. The cot was still set up for her as if Zod had known that she'd be back. Dragging herself up off the floor, she threw her body onto it and closed her eyes. Even though she was bone tired, she also couldn't stop her eyes from popping open every few seconds.

_Clark_, she thought silently, _where are you? Dead… or alive?_ The thought that she might never see him again or touch him again sent a stabbing pain through her heart. She'd been angry that he had still wanted to keep secrets from her, but she'd thought they would have time to work through it. She remembered the huge explosion that took their headquarters with it and rubbed her temple. How could he survive that?

_They did this_, she thought angrily. The aliens. They killed everyone that she'd ever loved and were probably waiting to do the same thing to her. How could she fight against someone that was indestructible? One thing she'd learned from her years of living with her father was that everything and everyone had a weakness. Lois' was family.

What the hell was Zod's?

XXXXX

Zod assembled every Kryptonian under his command, except for the two guarding the humans, and had them in formation awaiting his first words. He knew they wouldn't like what he had to tell them, but he also knew the weight his authority carried. If he told them that it was the only viable solution to further their race, they would obey.

But, he also knew that subjects needed to feel like they had a say in the way their world was run. That was why he was giving them this opportunity to voice any concerns they might have.

"Of the twenty-five of you," he began in a loud clear voice, "there are only four females."

In the silent aftermath of that statement, flickers of confusion passed over the women's and some of the men's faces. Zod continued.

"Unless you four wish to be used like brood mares for the next fifty years we need to look to alternate solutions to our problem."

"Sir, what problem do you speak of?" one soldier asked.

"To build our glorious race back up to the way it used to be we need children. With only four Kryptonian women that will be very slow and difficult indeed. And then in just a few generations we'll be forced to inbreed." He curled his lip in disgust.

Fresh worry passed over their faces. Their existence on this planet seemed to be nothing but an endless problem. The women in particular seemed unsure of their fates. They eyed the men standing next to them and mentally dared them to so much as lay a finger on them. Kryptonian women were just as powerful as Kryptonian men.

Zod eased their worries. "It is distasteful, but humans are our only choice."

They clearly had not expected that to come out of his mouth. Raina looked at him disbelieving. "You wish us to breed with humans, sir?" Her opinion was clearly conveyed in her tone. "To pollute our species with human blood?"

He had expected this. "The humans will be nothing more than vessels. We are the more powerful race and therefore our blood and genes will subjugate theirs. The children will be Kryptonian," he assured them, "and there is no reason why there should be any embarrassment on theirs or your parts. We are doing what is necessary to survive. Can humans say that?"

His words were motivating. "And there is no reason why the children need prolonged contact. Except for intercourse and gestation, we need not be exposed to them more than necessary. Unless you want to of course," he said, with a smirk. "Humans just might prove to be more… _useful_… than we had previously considered."

The men chuckled quietly. Zod could tell that even if they weren't happy about it, his people would do as he said. As a sort of 'sweetener' he added, "You four Kryptonian women may choose partners from among your comrades."

With the women satisfied, the discussion ended. He dismissed them back to their duties and turned to walk to the window.

A voice made him pause.

"Sir?"

It was Raina. She had lingered after the others had left and he eyed her speculatively.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to thank you for allowing us to choose mates from among the Kryptonians men."

Was that all? He flicked a hand dismissively. "I am not without compassion. I hope you choose well. Shor-Ra perhaps? He has distinguished himself with the death of a rebel leader."

Raina's green eyes flickered momentarily. "Yes, he has done well for himself." She paused for a second. "I, however, had another in mind, far greater than Shor-Ra."

Zod sneered and finally looked at her. "Greater? There is no one greater than him except for-," he stopped abruptly as understanding flooded his eyes. He had not anticipated this.

"You," she finished, gaining courage and moving closer to him to his annoyance. "Of the four females in the platoon, I am the most dedicated and ruthless. If we unite, there would be nothing and no one that would stand in our way. Our children will be the greatest of all."

He stared at her for a second. She was more beautiful than any human woman. Her thick black hair and piercing green eyes were alluring and she was right. She was the most dedicated of the females under him. Faora had been devoted too, he thought, with a pang. Though she had betrayed him in the end, he still felt guilty over her death.

He smiled. "Raina, I am deeply flattered that I was your first choice. It was a wise decision."

Her smile dimmed at his use of semantics and she looked at him sharply.

"However, I'm afraid as the leader of our people it is up to me to set the example. I cannot ask my men to lower themselves if I am not willing to do so as well. What kind of general would I be?"

She was very, _very_ 'disappointed', but swallowed it admirably. "I understand, sir. Your greatness far exceeds duty. Who—who will you choose?" Various images of human women ran through her mind and she imagined jamming her fingers into their eye sockets and ripping their skulls off.

He smiled and narrowed his eyes at the beautiful crimson orb hanging close in the amber sky. "My revenge on Jor-El and Clark Kent is complete. Everything they ever tried to do for humanity instead of for us has been righted and once Lois Lane bears my heirs, their humiliation and defeat will complete."

Raina almost choked on her tongue. "The prisoner? You're _not_ going to execute her—you're going to become intimate with her?"

He smiled and looked at her in a way that made her straighten and look down respectfully. She'd gone too far. "Yes, I am. Is that a problem?"

"No, sir. It's just that you killed the people she cares about. What makes you think she'll come to you willingly?"

His eyes still held that same look as he considered her words. "Because, I hold within my grasp something very important to her."

XXXXX

Lois looked up from the crappy pillow they had given her when she heard footsteps outside the door. She was already standing and waiting when it swung open to reveal Zod. She clenched her jaw as he walked in.

"Hello Lois," he said pleasantly, standing a few feet away and looking at her with a slightly ducked head. "Did you get in a nap while I was meeting with my men?"

"Either kill me or get the hell away from me," she gritted out, wishing she had super strength also. She would wring his neck like a chicken.

He 'tsked' her and stepped closer. "Now Lois, you haven't even heard my proposition yet."

"If it's from you I don't want to."

She blinked and he was gone from his place in front of her. His hands clamped down on her upper arms like vises from behind. She struggled for an instant and then went still as she wondered if he really was going to kill her now. She felt his warm breath lightly tickling her hair by her ear.

"Are you sure about that? You don't even know what I am going to say." His voice was low and seductive, but his fingers never loosened up their grip. "What if I could promise you that you would never be hurt again?"

Being this close to him made her voice shaky and not as strong as she wished. She was still unsure as to his intentions and it made her nervous. "I've heard that before."

"But, I mean it this time. You could have your own room out of this cellar, food, new clothes, _power_…"

The big 'if' hung in the air between them and she squared her shoulders and stuck out her jaw. "And what _exactly_ would I have to do to get all that?" she asked, though she was pretty sure she already knew. Men, no matter what species, never changed.

Zod released her and walked slowly around, hands behind his back. "There are too few of us left to properly rebuild our race to its former glory. I need heirs."

Lois blinked. She'd expected something like lurid sex, not children. She couldn't even form a reply in her shock. He took advantage of this and continued.

"You would be spared the work camps and instead live by my side as my queen. You could have anything you want within reason." He looked at her expectantly. "What do you say?"

What did she say? Color tinged her cheeks as she looked at him incredulously. "I would rather die than touch you, let alone bear your children. You killed Chloe, and probably Clark and Ollie too. I despise you." She cursed the tremble in her voice.

"I didn't kill any of those people," he corrected, "Shor-Ra killed your cousin."

"You ordered it," she shouted, kicking her water glass at his face. He easily ducked it and brushed the droplets off his uniform.

"There are casualties in war," he answered simply.

Rage suffused her. "This isn't war, you bastard, it's annihilation."

He moved quickly and held her up against the wall with his hand lightly at her throat, fingers spread across her jaw. The fear in her eyes tantalized him as did the defiance. He closed the last of the distance between them and pressed his body against hers. He could hear and feel her heart pounding in her chest and smiled. He brushed a piece of her long dark hair from out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"You have such spirit, Lois Lane. I haven't forgotten how you tried to save my life that night," he whispered. Her eyes widened. "You are a worthy human. That's why I offer this to you." He looked into her eyes as he spoke to see if his words affected her at all. How could they not? He was being sincere. He studied her for another heartbeat before lowering his head slowly down to hers. Just before they made contact she spoke.

Her voice was a touch too husky and she hoped he didn't notice. "I don't want it. If I had known what you were that night I would've let you die."

He hissed in frustration and pushed himself away from her. "And what about your sister? Sweet little Lucy. Maybe I'll bring _her_ here to the mansion instead. Only I promise you, Lois, she won't enjoy it. And then when I'm done with her, I'll kill her." His voice dripped with venom and he didn't even try to spare her feelings. That was the point. She would bend to his will or she would die.

Lois went very still. "Lucy's alive? I thought she was missing."

He sneered. "She's a very good actress. I didn't know she was your sister until a guard told me she'd been acting suspiciously after I announced your execution. He found contraband in her bedding in the form of a photograph of you." He smiled at her pale face. "I told the guard that she might be useful and to keep an eye on her."

Lucy was alive. Her only family left. She had to see her, she thought desperately. "Leave her alone." Her tone had a pleading quality to it. For family or friends she would do anything, even toss her dignity aside to beg. "I'll do whatever you want, just leave her alone, please."

He knew he'd win in the end and smiled triumphantly. "You will bear my children?"

She wanted to heave the contents of her stomach, but nodded.

"Willingly?" He raised an eyebrow challengingly and was pleased with her nod.

"I will _willingly_ let you give me a turkey baster with your," she waved a hand toward his waist, unwilling to actually say the word, "stuff," she improvised, "and if I get pregnant I will have the baby."

"That wasn't our agreement," he said through a clenched jaw. Like an apparition he was back in front of her, this time there was even less room between them. She gulped and looked up at his dark angry face. "You will satisfy my desires, Lois, or I swear I will make your sister do it in your place. It's your choice."

When she didn't answer he shrugged slightly. "I'll let her know your decision."

"No, wait," she cried, and he smirked remaining where he was against her. Tears sparkled in her brown eyes. "Fine, I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt her."

"I give you my word of honor," he said and though he knew that she thought he had no honor, he meant what he said. She quickly tried to get away from him now that their deal was done, but he didn't budge. "You're not getting away that easily, Lois."

She went pale again. Now? He wanted sex _now_?

"As a token of your good faith I want a kiss."

"What? Why?"

"Because Lois, I am your master and I demand it. If you can't do this one little thing, why should I believe you will honor our agreement?" He kept his face inches away from hers so that she would have to come to him.

She hated him so much, but she was powerless against him. _For now_, she thought grimly, and relished the thought of one day gaining the upper hand. Then _he_ would be the one to beg, she thought smugly. She moved her head from off the wall and drew closer to him.

Her lips were so full. They entranced him as her face came closer and closer…

She paused just before they touched. "One day, I'll make you regret ever meeting me," she promised in a whisper. Before he could answer or even process what she had said, she pressed her lips to his harshly.

Her mouth parted and drew him in. He tightened his arms around her but had to hold himself back to prevent hurting her. Though she was tough she was still only human and therefore breakable. But, when her tongue hesitantly touched his, it was hard to remember that.

He allowed himself to lose a little bit of control as he kissed her. There was more passion in this kiss than he'd been expecting, but he wasn't complaining. He had known that he'd made a good choice when he picked her.

"I might have underestimated human women," he said, as he broke off the kiss and trailed his lips down her throat. "It is far more pleasurable than I had expected." Tess didn't count. He had only bedded her because she seemed so slavishly devoted to him. _And_ she wanted power which amused him.

His voice snapped her out of her haze. What the hell was she doing? "I think I've more than completed your request," she said coldly, trying to regain control of herself. He was very good. She gave him silent kudos for his manipulative skills.

Her icy tone cooled his desire somewhat and he inwardly groaned as he reluctantly broke away from her. He ran his fingers through his messed up black hair and smoothed it away from his pale face. "Yes, you have," he said finally, regaining control and straightening his posture, "for now."

And then he was gone. Exhaling a relieved shaky breath she sank down onto her cot and cried. He was a monster and she had just kissed him- very passionately. That pissed her off. But, the only thing that mattered was getting back to her own time so she could prevent this world from ever coming to pass. To do that she had to get the ring.

_And to do that_, she thought grimly, _she had to get close to Zod._ She hadn't known how she was going to do it before, but then he had gone and offered her the perfect opportunity. Though it was disgusting, it was the best chance she was ever going to get.

For Chloe, she thought, closing her eyes. Whatever she did now was for Chloe, to make sure that she lived to see twenty-four. She couldn't even think about Clark or Ollie if she went through with this. Just Chloe.

XXXXX

The blonde figure stood in the shadows as the girl was led into the room. She was no more than seventeen or eighteen, he figured. She should do better than the others. He cast a glance at the two dead human women that still lay on his floor. Pitiful, he thought with scorn. What good were they for mating if they died in the middle of the act?

The girl was quietly crying as she eyed her friend's bodies. They were a little older than she was, but they had been in the same camp. Now they were dead. She looked at the alien standing before her smiling coldly. He walked around her body, trailing a finger over her bare shoulder and looking her up and down.

"You seem stronger than the others," he commented, thoughtfully.

"What do you want from me?" she asked fearfully, not taking her eyes off him.

He seemed a tad surprised at her naivete. "Intercourse. I had thought that was obvious. You will provide me with an heir. That is, if you survive." He glanced once more down at the other two women and shook his head. "With bodies as fragile as yours it's a wonder that your species has survived this long."

"A baby?" she asked in shock, "You want me to have your baby? But, why?"

He shrugged carelessly. "There are too few women of our own. We are forced to use human women for breeding. Think of yourself as lucky." He drew close to her and watched her tremble. "If you do become with child, you'll be able to move out of whatever hovel you live in and reside in comfort for the duration of your pregnancy."

Her mouth was very dry. "But, what about afterwards? Are you going to kill me?"

He looked at her oddly. "That wouldn't be very productive would it? If you prove yourself once, then you may have the opportunity to do so again. If you survive the birth that is," he added practically, glancing once more at the dead women.

She shivered at the thought of having sex with this thing. He wasn't human. But, she also didn't want to live in the camps anymore. She had been quite wealthy before the invasion and poverty didn't suit her. Thank God she had retained most of her attractiveness. That was why she'd been picked.

"Okay," she said slowly, "but why did they die? Is—is there something wrong with you?" She suddenly glanced down at his pants and had a horrifying thought. What if Kryptonians had enormous penises? Was that how Laurie and Julia had died? What a terrible way to go, she thought.

He followed her gaze and had no idea what she was talking about. Not surprising. Humans were dimwitted after all. "Listen girl," he said a little impatiently, "imagine you, the weak creature that you are, were holding something very, very fragile but at the same time you were forced to run with it across an extremely uneven surface. It would be hard not to break it, don't you think?"

"Oh my God," she whispered, "you crushed them to death?" They were stronger than anything on Earth and faster. This was her chance to get out of the camps, but what if she died in the process? She nervously wetted her lips. "Um, I have an idea."

He stared at her which she took as a sign to continue. "Why don't you lie flat and still on the bed while I am… on top? That way no, uh, slamming will occur and crush me to death," she finished hoarsely.

That was an idea, he thought. Why hadn't he done that before? "I had to grip them quite tightly to get them to hold still," he told her. "You _want_ to do this?" He didn't quite believe her.

A hard glint came into her eyes as she narrowed them. "I want to sleep in a real bed in a real house again. If you can make that happen I'll pretty much do whatever you want."

This was something he could understand. Doing something in order to get something. That was how life worked. "Then come here," he ordered, curving a finger. She silently walked closer. It helped that Kryptonians looked identical to humans. Better actually. They were a beautiful race. This one especially.

He was already bare-chested and only had on the bottom half of his uniform. His white blonde hair gleamed in the darkened room and she swore she could see blue eyes glowing. She shook herself. That was a little creepy.

He just sort of stared at her as if wondering how she would initiate contact. He was taking her advice and trying not to touch her, she noted, stepping closer to him. She didn't really want to touch him either, but the lure of living in comfort after practically starving for a year was too tempting to pass up.

She gestured at his rather large comfortable bed against the far wall. "Shall we?" she said in a low voice.

Once he seemed sure that she wasn't going to try and escape or force him to use his powers against her, he seemed to unstiffen a bit. He undid the clasp of his pants as he walked with her trailing behind him and slid out of them. She turned red for a moment as he stood there completely unabashed by his nudity. He had good reason to not be embarrassed, she noted. He was glorious in all his, well—glory.

Faster than she could blink, he was lying in bed on his back, staring expectantly at her. "Take off your clothes," he ordered, and watched as she slowly untied the string of the ugly brown sack dresses they were given and slid the straps off her shoulders. It pooled on the floor at her feet.

He let his wander down her body. "Nicer than I expected," he commented tonelessly.

_Pig_, she thought, but let one side of her mouth curve up a bit. He was a little unnerving, but if she thought of him as just an ordinary man, she figured she could do this. He was watching her the way people studied animals. As if he was wondering what she would do next or what she was thinking.

She was thinking of his sheets at the moment. They looked so soft. Then her eyes snapped over to his lean and muscled torso and she smiled. She leaned over him and slid into the bed also, carefully planting herself between his legs. The only thing that gave away his desire was his rapidly lengthening erection.

She placed her hands carefully on his thighs and slowly ran her hands over them up to his hips and the hard plane of his abdomen. She lowered her head to his skin and trailed expert kisses in very strategic places over his body until finally she took him very gently in her hand and worked slowly up and down.

He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, his hands balling into fists in the sheets, as she took him into her mouth with the skill of someone who's done this before. More than once. He wasn't used to not being able to touch the person he was with and it was driving him crazy.

He looked at her and for a second his eyes glowed orange-red and she flinched. Whenever they did that lasers shot out from them. But, he kept himself under control and reached out a hand.

"Come here," he rasped. There was fear in her eyes, but she did as she was told. He waited until she was close enough and then slid a hand through her hair and pushed her head closer to his.

His mouth ravenously devoured hers and she forgot all about everything else in the world except for him. She'd never been with a man as perfectly formed as he. Her breasts slid over his chest as she pressed her hips against his. Without breaking contact with his lips, she threw caution to the wind and guided a hand to her breast.

Suddenly, the control he'd been fighting for the whole time, slipped for a second and when she blinked she was on her back and he was on top of her. She wasn't in pain yet so she went with it and raised her head back up to his. His lips were delicious and soft. Surprisingly so, for someone so hard and unfeeling.

Fingers traveled down her stomach and she arched her body against his hand. She came almost immediately, crying out once as her body shuddered its release. He gave her no time to bathe in the afterglow of it. He moved so fast she thought she was dreaming as he put her body on top of his.

"It's best," he said hoarsely, forcing his body to lie as still as possible. This was the part where the others had died although getting to this point hadn't been as pleasurable with them. Her eyes still glazed with desire looked down at him and he had to restrain himself from taking her right then. Thankfully, Kryptonians were experts in the art of self-control.

He was large but she was more than ready for him as she slid down slowly at first then with one hard thrust he was completely inside her. He moaned lowly and the sound made her stomach flip in desire. She moved quickly, placing her hands on his chest for an anchor. He tried remain still but it was impossible. He thrusted up in time with her until her body shook with tremors.

He only lost control once, accidentally using super-speed while he was inside her. Thankfully, he kept his strength in check and she came three more times before he finally did also. It was strange, she noted distantly. She could feel his warm seed inside her before she slowly slid off him and onto the cool sheets, breathing hard as if she'd run a marathon.

He was silent for a minute and then turned to her. "Give me five minutes and I'll be ready again."

**The guy is Shor-Ra. I'm sure everyone figured that out. I don't know why I didn't say any names, but I just didn't. I always wondered if Clark would've had sex with Lana sooner if he hadn't been as worried about killing her. I figure that the Kryptonians wouldn't care enough for that thought to even cross their minds. So, unfortunately there would be a trial and error. Here's a heads up; someone-either Clark or Ollie-isn't dead. **

**Just a side-note about Lois. She's not going to be all willingly and submissive just because Zod threatened her sister. She consented to his proposition because of Lucy and because she needed to get close enough to him to get the ring, but it's not going to be some abuse/rape story. Maybe fringes of non-con at first because he did kill her family and friends, but I think Lois has a lot of deep emotions that she barely acknowledges to herself. **


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all, let me say that the review have been overwhelming which has made me get behind in answering them. I hope no one hates me now. **** Anyway, here's the next chapter and I hope everyone likes it. **

"How do you like your new accommodations?"

Lois stood in the middle of what used to be Lex's bedroom. It was the largest of all the rooms and Zod naturally had acquired it for himself. Silver and black had replaced whatever colors Lex had favored. She eyed the one king-sized bed with distaste and turned around to look at him.

"Not that it really matters but I hate them," she said with an irritatingly fake smile.

Zod merely returned her smile and began slowly pacing around her. "Oh? What about this room offends you?"

"Your presence in it."

He looked at her knowingly. "If I could be sure that I could trust you, then you might be given quarters elsewhere. As it is, I know that, despite having given me your _word_, you will seize any opportunity to escape." He drew closer to her and dropped his tone. "Even though there is nowhere left for you to run."

She narrowed her eyes. "Thanks to you."

She was completely on edge today. Just last night she had made some ridiculous agreement to bear Zod's children and right now she was really regretting it. Lucy was a bad sister anyway. Let _her_ do it.

Alright, she wasn't really going to do that. She bit her lip and chanted her new personal mantra. _Sleep with Zod, get the ring, save humanity. Sleep with Zod, get the ring, and save humanity._

Once she was back, it would be like none of this ever happened. Everyone would be alive and she and Clark would be together. She narrowed her eyes contemptuously at him. Clark was going to kick his ass once she told him who Zod really was.

Suddenly, he was very close and she jumped, scowling. She was never going to be able to relax if he kept doing that. His all-knowing smile was also annoying and she slapped his hand away that had started tracing her collarbone. It was like slapping a brick and she winced.

"You said you'd be willingly," he reminded her, "If you're going to break your promise…"

She kept her scowl on. "This is as willing as I get. You killed my family and friends. Do you expect me to suddenly forget about that and just fall at your feet with gratitude? _Not_ gonna happen."

"I expect you to do what is necessary to survive, Lois. Your friends are dead. You are alive. You're foolish if you think that martyring yourself will bring them back." His words were callous and harsh but he spoke the truth. To any Kryptonian, this bit of wisdom would be a reminder to always do what is necessary to survive.

However, humans usually had a very different outlook. Lois by nature could never simply cast off what she had seen in the last few weeks simply to survive. It was extremely hard for her to remember that she was the only one left who could go back and save everyone and that if she died in this time it was over. No redos.

That was the only reason she had agreed to this. If so much hadn't been at stake she would have never surrendered. She would've rather died.

Lois looked at him coldly. "I'm not martyring myself. I just don't like you. Let's get one thing straight. When I said 'willing' I meant that I'd sleep with you and you wouldn't have to feel like a rapist—which you should. Never think for one second that I wouldn't kill you if I had the chance."

There was something exciting about bedding a woman who harbored homicidal thoughts about you while in the midst of coital bliss. His blood ran just a little hotter right then and this time when he touched her he made damn sure that he put some aggression into it. He'd been nice for too long. The blackness inside him hammered to get out.

"I don't believe you," he whispered slightly taunting, and wound his hand through her long dark hair, yanking her head back roughly and exposing her throat. It hurt but she would die before letting him know that.

His mouth was hot against her skin. He'd thought about how he was going to approach their first time together and was torn between slow and gentle or long and hard. A compliant Lois was a more manageable one and even though there was not much damage she could do here, he knew that she would cause trouble for him if she could find a way. And there was _always_ a way.

Sex was a great way to keep women under control. He just had to figure her out first. But, he also wanted her to know that he was her master now. Should he surprise her with tenderness and win her over? He smiled inwardly as he trailed kisses over her neck and shoulders.

Or should he force her into submission with dominance? Lois wouldn't be easy but that was what made it so tempting. How long would she last? He shook himself and raised his head to peer down at her uncomfortable angle. So defiant. He had best save the dominance plan for a time when she overly defied him. If he started now he would tire himself out.

Tenderness and passion it was. Like everything else in his life, he had a battle plan for this situation and had Lois been aware of the details, even she would've been impressed. And pissed off.

He relaxed his posture and released her hair, gently massaging her neck where it had been wrenched back. She stared stiffly across the room at some dark corner and he sighed, dropping his hand away from her.

"I am truly very sorry, Lois," he said, in the most genuine tone she'd ever heard out of him. She looked over sharply. "We simply do not think as you humans do. I know that you would rather be dead than abide my touch."

Got that right, mister.

"I know that you think I'm singling you out for my own twisted amusement."

"Aren't you?" she asked bitterly, surprised at his sudden change in demeanor.

He shook his head. "I owe you a life debt, Lois."

She blinked. What?

"You might not remember me lying in a pool of my own blood, but I do. Had you not fought as valiantly as you did I would be dead right now."

Her face signaled that she didn't think that was a terrible thought and he smiled, running a hand through his hair.

"Yes, I know that you hate me, but to let me die in cold-blood? That's not you. You showed me a side of humanity that I had not previously seen." He was being honest. He had been amazed that she had jeopardized her own escape to help him. "That was why I chose you to help rebuild my people. They would've demanded your blood and that, my dear Lois, I could not do."

She was totally confused now. "You've killed millions of people. Why would me helping you a year ago make that much of a difference? I only did what anyone would've done."

He looked at her somberly and raised a finger to trace her bottom lip lightly. She was wary but didn't pull away. "No, Lois. I saw what humanity was capable of and it wasn't self-sacrificing. Maybe isolated cases, sure, but as a whole humanity is rotten to the core."

She opened her mouth once again but he silenced her. "I'm not going to say that I'm sorry for anything I've done, except that it's caused you pain. I am entrusted with the survival of my people and that is what I must do, Lois. Nothing has changed between us. I still need offspring. I just wanted you to know that I'm not a complete monster."

Tears glittered in her eyes and she looked away. "You can save your words for someone else, Zod, because I don't care. If, God forbid, I do get pregnant with your child, I feel nothing but sorrow for it. Because it has you for a father."

Those words sounded horrible to her, surreal almost. Father… and she would be the mother. She wanted to faint. "What kind of father murders helpless women and children all for a handful of people who destroyed their own world? And now you want to destroy mine. Excuse me for not giving a shit about your motives."

What kind of father…? He had been an excellent father to his son before he'd been killed. His wife, his son, and he had been happy. He still remembered their faces as if he'd only just left them. His wife had been young and beautiful and loving, not a soldier at all like Faora. His son had been like an angel. And they'd both died. Been murdered.

And while Jor-El had refused to bring _Zod's_ son back, he had made damn sure that _his own_ had escaped their planet's destruction.

The pain he'd felt as he'd picked up the tiny body and held it tightly against his chest came flooding back for just a moment and he breathed in deeply to reign his emotions. That life was over. Dwelling in the past was not helpful for the present.

Lois had been shocked to see the pain in his eyes and for one ridiculous moment she'd felt sorry that she'd said that. It was strange to see that sort of emotion on someone like him. Very disconcerting. She wondered what had happened to make him that sad.

And then she straightened up and reminded herself that he'd basically wiped out her planet. Whoever had hurt him in the past, she only wished she could congratulate him or her on a job well done. But, why did she still feel guilty then?

His gaze was icy and he tightened his lips. "Very well then Lois. Have it your way." He took her arm and led her to the bed where he promptly released it and began unbuttoning his shirt.

She sucked in a breath when she saw the first hint of pale skin. She'd pissed him off and now he was going to take all his anger out on her.

"Undress," he ordered coldly, standing in front of her half naked. She was frozen, unable to move. "Undress or I'll undress you."

She couldn't comply, she just couldn't. He moved with lightning speed, positioning himself directly in front of her with a knife. She lost the ability to breathe as the blade came dangerously close to her skin and instinctively tried to knock his arm away. Pain shot up her hand and arm and she gasped.

Her shirt fell to the floor in ribbons. Her bra was sliced cleanly through the center fabric and hung off her precariously, but he made no move to finish. Instead he just looked at her for one long moment, watching the fear and anger and everything in between flit across her face. Then he flung the knife off to the side and the loud noise of metal on marble drowned out her pounding heart.

He moved down to kiss her and though she tried belatedly to move her head he caught it and won. Her bra was still a barrier between them albeit a thin one and she tensed to fight him if he tried to remove it. However he didn't. He kept his arms by his side as his tongue probed her lips for entrance to her mouth. She could feel his hair brush across her forehead as it fell into his face.

Something metal touched her skin below her collarbone and she glanced down… and sucked in a breath. Dog tags. With a black circular piece of metal in front of them.

The Legion ring. Her minded whirred. All Clark had said was that the wearer could travel through time. Obviously, it had to be worn on the finger, but more importantly, how did she control where (or when) she went?

Who cared? she decided. Any place was better than here. This would be her best chance and he had made it so easy. She couldn't wait to wipe that arrogant, self-satisfied smile off his face as she disappeared before his eyes. But, he wasn't distracted enough yet.

Lois opened her mouth and flicked her tongue over Zod's, while bringing her hands up to his hips. Despite being so outwardly cold, his body was warm and she pressed it harder against hers while deepening the kiss.

He made a noise of appreciation which spurred her on to run her hands over his back and chest, lightly raking her nails over his skin and making him arch into her. He jerked her bra off and discarded it onto the floor, palming both breasts with expert caresses that made her grow hotter. Without meaning to, she leaned into him.

Her hands went to his throat and neck, sliding up on either side of his face to pull him closer. Fingers entangled with silky black hair as she broke off the kiss to trail her lips across a cheekbone and down his neck. He arched his neck back to allow her better access and closed his eyes. He'd known that if he was patient she would come around.

Except that he hadn't really been that patient. He frowned.

The obstacle that was his pants ceased to be as she simply jerked them open, popping a button off in the process and, with a hint of hesitation, loosening them to finally caress the one place throbbing with need on his body. With her touch he lost some of his carefully cultivated control and moved them in a blink of an eye to his bed. He'd made it so that he was underneath her.

She breathlessly regained her composure and didn't even acknowledge to herself that she'd almost become caught up in him. Turning a wicked eye on him, she smiled coyly. He stared down at her, ignoring that fact that he could be inside her in just seconds.

"Why the change in attitude?" he asked, barely out of breath, not from exertion but from desire.

Lois willed herself not to look at the ring that was practically dangling in her face. "I'm a passionate girl, Zod. It's hard to control myself when you're touching me like that."

He smiled, more satisfied now that she'd bolstered his ego but not completely. "What about your precious Clark? What would he think?"

Clark's name falling from his lips almost made her see red, but she channeled that anger into a useful lie. "Even after all I did for him, Clark still wouldn't trust me with the truth. I could never be with someone who lied to me on a daily basis."

She slowly moved her hands to his waist and up to his chest that was bent over her, keeping the Legion ring in her peripherals. It was big and the chain around it was small. She could probably slip it on while it was still attached.

He smiled again at her touch. "What about someone who murdered all your friends in cold blood?"

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a low voice that Lois despised said from behind Zod, "Am I interrupting something?"

Zod stood up quickly thankful that most of him was covered up (though he didn't really care). Lois however had to grab a sheet for her upper torso. She was so angry she could barely speak. Barely.

"Tess," she said, smiling thinly, "what an awful surprise. Haven't seen you since I was kicking your ass."

She ignored that comment. Tess took in Zod's half naked body and then looked over to Lois. "I heard the news but I could barely believe it. Lois Lane and General Zod." Her tone was mocking.

Lois was red-faced. Even though she knew the truth, she couldn't bear anyone else to think that she'd actually touch him if she had a choice. But, that's what people had to think if she was going to pull off her plan.

She was seething inwardly at how close she'd been to going home before Tess ruined it. "Don't you have any concept of privacy? We're kinda busy."

"Yes, Tess. Get out." Zod pointed to the door.

Tess turned her eyes on him.

Could her newfound interest in Zod possibly have anything to do with the ring dangling around his neck? she thought sarcastically. She smiled at Zod and bowed with her head.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just that the prisoner is acting up and hasn't told us anything useful yet. What should we do with him?"

Zod was silent as he narrowed his gaze at Tess. He heard Lois choke on her surprise.

"Prisoner? What prisoner?"

No one answered her. The battle of wills between Tess and Zod was going on and it wasn't pretty. She jumped out of bed with the sheet still around her and marched over to them.

"What prisoner?" she demanded.

After a few moments, Zod turned to her. "The one we captured at the rebel hideout. We wanted Clark Kent but I'm told he foolishly sacrificed himself for his human companions. So we have Green Arrow instead."

She turned paler. So Clark really was dead… But, "Ollie? He's alive?"

He sneered. "For now. Though I know that he has the information I seek, he refuses to give it up. I may be forced to execute him after all."

"No, please," she begged, hot, angry tears welling up in her eyes, "You said that if I swear allegiance to you my friends would be safe. Please, just let him live. I won't fight you ever again."

He considered her words for a moment… and then shook his head. "My men would think I've gone soft. After Tess, then you, and now Oliver? There would be revolt."

She opened her mouth to beg some more, but he cut her off. "I have a different proposition for you, Lois. Either he swears allegiance to me tomorrow morning or I will execute him. He'll get a fair chance, but if he's too stupid to take it then it's not my problem anymore."

"But, please, can I just speak to him? He'll never swear allegiance to you. Maybe if I…"

"I guess you'll just have to convey your desperation for his life with your eyes then, Lois."

And then he walked away, snapping his fingers for Tess to follow. She looked back at Lois and curved her lips in a mocking smile. "I know what you're up to, Lois, and I won't let you get to it before I do."

Lois shook with rage and gritted her teeth. "One day, I'm going to kick your ass. You're not a Kryptonian yet, Tess. Just good old human flesh and blood like me and we both know that I could wipe the pavement with you."

Her challenge hung in the air between them and Tess forgot all about Zod and stepped forward until she and Lois were almost nose to nose. "Anytime, _bitch_. Try and lay a hand on me. I dare you," she whispered.

Just as Lois drew her fist back, Zod snapped, "Tess! Follow me. I wish to have a word with you."

Tess withdrew, smiling tauntingly at the other girl and then turned around and followed Zod out of the room.

When the door closed and they had walked a few feet, she smiled over at him. "How'd I do?"

He chuckled. "Perfectly. She's right where I want her now. You're theatrical skills are superb. Now she'll do anything I ask if she thinks that it will save her precious Oliver Queen."

"Are you still going to execute him tomorrow? What if he pledges his allegiance to you after all?"

He shook his head. "I would never swear allegiance to my enemies. Not even to save my loved ones. I doubt he will either. But, I have no intention on executing him. I'll stop it at the last minute to let Lois think that I've taken into consideration her feelings. Combined with her sister, he's an excellent bargaining chip."

But, something still troubled her. "Why do you care? Why is it important that she is compliant. Any one of you could stop her if she tried to escape."

"Because, Tess," he answered quietly, "the longer someone pretends to be something or someone their not, the easier it becomes for them to actually become that. Compliance is the completion of dominance."

"And you want to dominate Lois?" she said in a low voice.

Something was wrong. He looked over at her and decided that her ruffled feathers needed soothing. He didn't want to worry about her plotting against him as well. Letting a seductive smile curve his mouth, he took her off guard by pushing her against the wall of the corridor. She was slightly fearful at first until she felt his hardness pressing against her.

"Since I didn't get to finish what I started earlier," he began, "why don't you and I go somewhere? Haven't you missed me?"

She smiled slowly, happy that he hadn't forgotten about her. One of her hands slid between their bodies to rub slowly. "Why do we have to go anywhere?" Maybe Lois would come out and see them together just five doors down from the room she was in.

Dark laughter escaped his lips as he unzippered his pants and seconds later was buried inside her. It always hurt Tess in the beginning, but she loved that. Pain and pleasure should always go together.

He didn't care about her or her physical needs. He just really needed release and about a minute of thrusting later he was done. She was only slightly disappointed as she slid down the wall and pulled her pants back up. At least he'd come back to her. Sex with him was amazing and addictive and even though she too wanted the ring for her own agenda, she still couldn't get enough of him.

But, he wouldn't hesitate to end her life if she got in his way and she felt the same way about him. Trust was not one of the qualities of their relationship. He walked away from her without another word and she stared at his retreating form, more plans racing through her mind.

XXXXX

Blood dripped from his blonde hair onto the concrete floor. New blood mixed with old blood and he wondered if this was where Lois had been kept.

The door opened and a woman walked through, shutting it carefully behind her. She stopped for a second, concentrating, and then refocused her attention on him. He watched her pace for a minute as if she were making a decision and then looked into his eyes.

"Back for more?" he rasped, chuckling painfully through broken ribs.

"On the contrary, human. I'm here for another purpose entirely."

He was surprised. And then she knelt down and before he could say anything at all, she kissed him. He'd been expecting pain, but now that he was getting the opposite he didn't know what to do with it.

The woman kissed and licked his throat and lips and face until he couldn't even think straight anymore. Was this how prisoners were treated on Krypton? he wondered. Instead of the last meal, they get a last fuck?

"As much as this is appreciated—" he gasped as she ripped open his pants, partially in pain and partially in surprise—" what the hell are you doing?"

She lifted her head off him and continued doing what she had started. "You are quite valuable to me at the moment, Oliver Queen. And because of that, I think I can save your life tomorrow. Do you wish for me to do that?"

Was this a trick question? Her head bent toward his crotch and he jumped a little. "Uh, yeah. I'd rather not die." She was hot for a Kryptonian. It made it really hard for him to hate her and push her away. "How are you going to do that?"

She almost didn't answer him, but after a minute she looked at him in annoyance. "You'll see tomorrow. General Zod has commanded that unless you swear allegiance to him you are to be executed in the morning."

Her hands were doing things to him that was making it hard to be properly outraged. "I would never—"

"It doesn't matter," she snapped, breaking through his ropes and pushing him onto his back. "If I claim you for my future heirs there is nothing he can do about it. If he can entangle himself with humans than I can do the same. He'll look weak and hypocritical if he does not allow it."

Heirs? What? She was naked now and he stared at her in shock. She was built like a goddess and straddling him. Ask her about the 'heirs' thing, his brain screamed at him, but he could only stare. If he wasn't careful he would come right that instant.

"I assume that I please you enough that you will be able to complete the act of intercourse?"

What? He felt like he was in a fog. What the hell was going on? Instead of asking her these questions, he simply nodded.

"I can't touch you while I do this," she informed him, "Shor-Ra accidentally killed two humans before he got it right. I'll try not to do the same."

Before he could attempt to throw her off him or ask who Shor-Ra was, she slid onto his cock and started moving rhythmically and driving all reason from his brain. Finally, he thought, something good about these people.

A minute later she was staring down at him in irritation. He shrugged. "It's been awhile."

"Whatever," she muttered, getting up. "General Zod has the human called Lois Lane. He's chosen her to bear his heirs instead of a Kryptonian," she spat bitterly.

Oliver bolted up, hissing in pain as he did so. "Lois is alive? She's here?"

She looked at him scornfully. "Yes, human, she is. Although if I have to be around her often I might rip off her skull."

"If you kill her, I'll kill you," he warned. "I know your weakness. How are your pals doing by the way? Still in pieces?"

"We heal fast," she said tonelessly, sliding her uniform back on. "With you living here at our headquarters, that will cause a distraction. With distractions come opportunities."

He stared at her. Man, this chick was psycho. It was obvious that she hated Lois and wanted Zod and would do anything to get him. He was worried that one day she would decide it was easier simply to kill Lois. He would die before he let that happen. Maybe there was a way he could help Lois get to ring.

"Alright," he said, "I'll do whatever you want as long as Lois stays safe. I want her gone from this place as much as you do."

The Kryptonian smiled chillingly down at him. With Lois gone, Zod would be free to be with her. His vengeance on the house of El would still be complete and they could begin to form their own untainted dynasty.

"Then tomorrow swear allegiance to my General and leave the rest to me." And then she was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Oliver to wonder what the hell had just happened.

Maybe now he could get revenge for Clark and Chloe's death, he thought darkly, a tear sliding down his cheek. They would all pay… somehow.

**Just so no one thinks that this last scene was just random smut, it will be explained in the next chapter. Also I don't want Lois to spend too much time in the future before getting her back because that would be like two stories in one. And sometimes I'm lazy. Remember that Oliver has more practice at duplicity than Lois so that will be helpful as well.**

**Oh yeah, I'm not sure if gotten back to anyone who reviewed about the eye color difference so I'll do it here. I'm probably not going to change it even though I like a green eyed Lois better than a brown eyed one. I would end up confusing myself and I just chose them at random anyway. I didn't want to search through the internet or watch the show to find out what they really are. But, thanks to everyone who told me because I was curious about it.**

**By the way, I was thinking of bringing Lana back as a distraction when Lois goes back to the past. That way Clark won't be able focus on Lois as much. I love Kristen Kreuk. She's so beautiful. *sigh***


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, so I'm sorry it took so long, but for some reason I had to edit this chapter about a million times before I was somewhat satisfied. I'm not entirely sure that I like the overall flow of it, but chalk it up to getting back into the swing. Everything leading up to the first sex encounter as well the actual encounter itself is very important because it will set the tone for everything Lois feels as she remembers flashbacks. And eventually she'll regain her memories and it won't do to have Zod being too horrible. It would be too hard to get over. Even if it technically never happened.**

Lois was practically vibrating with fear and anxiety. Oliver was being led through the double doors across the room and she instinctively tried to go to him but the guy behind her jerked her back. She glared at him and ripped her arm free. What the hell was she supposed to do? Watch Oliver die?

Oliver saw her as he was shoved to his knees and smiled. Zod, ever observant, noticed the shared look and snapped his fingers for the guards to release him, thus gaining their attention.

"Oliver Queen," he said with a smile. His eyes bored into the kneeling man's as if trying to read every secret thought in his soul. Queen was all too easy. He wore his heart on his sleeve. His love for Lois was plainly written across his face and if he'd had the power he would kill to free her from Zod's grasp.

He shifted in his seat lazily. "My trap it seems worked out beautifully." He smiled at Oliver's confused look and darted a sly glance at Lois.

Queen clenched his jaw. "You used Lois as bait. You planted a tracking device on her." He'd already known, but it still pissed him off.

Lois sucked in a breath and looked at Zod's smirking face. Her heart stopped. It was her fault that Clark and Chloe were dead. He inclined his head mockingly.

"Guilty. Once I ordered my men to spread it around that she was to be killed, I knew the cavalry would come charging in to save the day. And then all that was left was to wait."

"You asshole," Lois spat. Her head was jerked back and she hissed in pain.

"Shut your mouth, human," her guard ordered roughly, twisting her hair around his fist.

"Get your hands off her," Oliver shouted, jumping to his feet. He didn't get far when a Kryptonian planted his fist squarely in his stomach and he fell to his knees again, groaning and choking back bile.

Zod raised a hand to stop the assault. "Oliver, I'm prepared to make you an offer. Swear allegiance to me and I will let you live." He stared down at the blond and smiled infuriatingly. He knew what Queen's answer would be and sat back to wait for the words.

"Fine," Oliver choked out, trying to straighten his posture somewhat. He looked at Zod. "I'll swear it."

That was unexpected. He couldn't possibly mean that. Zod's smile disappeared and he stood up abruptly. "I killed your friends and crushed any hope you had of gaining your world back. Why would you vow loyalty to me?" To say he was suspicious was an understatement. This was supposed to be a way to gain favor with Lois and it was slowly slipping out of his hands. It wasn't often that he misread people.

For some reason, Oliver felt he should do what the woman had told him to do last night. He didn't know why, but he could tell she wanted to use him for something and at least for the moment he would be around to help Lois. Oliver composed his features as best he could and thought of her. And his revenge. "As you said before, you've killed almost everyone I care about. What would be the point of my dying too?"

Zod said nothing and continued to circle him. His black boots thudded on the marble floor. Then he stopped behind him. "Could it be that you hope to reunite with Lois Lane?"

Oliver swallowed.

"How noble," he sneered, "Throwing away all your hatred of me and my kind and allying yourself with us after everything we've done to you just to be near your beloved. Humans capacity for useless emotions still astounds me."

"You want my allegiance or not?" Oliver demanded, swallowing his fear of having his neck snapped.

Regaining control of the situation was more important than manipulating Lois. Seconds ticked by and then Zod spoke. "No, I don't think I do." He clenched his fist and drew it back. "I can your heartbeat quickening. Don't worry, Oliver. Soon it won't be beating at all."

So much for the word of 'Xena: Warrior Princess'. Oliver inhaled sharply and squeezed his eyes shut, preparing to have his heart ripped out of his chest, when all of a sudden a woman's voice sounded throughout the room.

"General Zod."

He jerked his head over, angry at having been interrupted, and saw Raina standing out from the others. "What?" he hissed.

"I've claimed this human for myself, sir."

The rest of his soldiers didn't say anything, but it was apparent that this was news to them as well. He straightened and looked at her appraisingly. "That's ridiculous. The women are supposed to have children with our own kind."

"You said that we _could_ choose Kryptonians, not that we had too."

He could hardly believe his ears and came dangerously close to striking her across the face for her insolence. "And why _exactly_ wouldn't you _want_ to?"

"With our great general leading by such example, how could I not?" There was nothing but respect in her tone. She kept her eyes lowered as if in subservience. "How could I live with myself knowing the sacrifices you've made to ensure we are treated fairly, and not make some of my own?"

Zod was _almost_ sure that he didn't believe a word coming out of her mouth. But, not quite. If she was lying, what was the point? What was her game? He was trying with every ounce of his strength to keep his voice even.

"That was the point of making such a sacrifice, Raina. So that the women wouldn't have to." He turned away from her and said loud enough so that everyone could hear, "I thank you for your loyalty and desire to be a good Kryptonian, but I'm afraid that there is no reprieve for this rebel. You must choose another."

"I can't," she responded, causing Zod's anger to snap. In the blink of an eye he was in front of her, gripping her throat tightly in one hand.

"You dare to challenge me?" he hissed.

She made no move to dislodge his hand. "Sir, we were… together last night and I'm afraid that I might already be with child. There is a shortage of suitable humans left and if this one proves himself it would be wise for me to keep him." Her voice was tight, but she squeezed the words out and waited for whatever her leader would do to her.

Zod's face was contorted with anger and his stare bored into her head as he weighed his options. His soldiers would not allow him to harm one of their own without good provocation, especially if she were pregnant. Memories of Faora came flooding back which was more than enough to give him pause.

But, he was sure that she was plotting something against him and could not let that go. Raina was cold and devious. If she had taken Queen as a pet it was for a very good reason. One that could not bode well for Zod. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment however, so he lowered her back to the floor.

"Well, Queen," he said, smoothing his hair back and walking to his chair, "it seems you will live to see another day. Get him out of my sight."

His order was obeyed immediately and the Kryptonians started clearing out the room. They knew better than to be around their leader when his face looked like that.

His eyes narrowed as he saw Lois and Oliver exchange a look and cold anger began forming in his chest.

They probably thought this was a good thing. They'd get to see each other every day now and it would be some sort of comfort to have one another.

Well, he thought contemptuously, she would soon find out otherwise.

Raina was pushing Oliver out of the room and he was glaring at her, but they both stopped up short when Zod's voice rang out clearly.

"Lois, come here."

Her head had been turned to follow Oliver's retreating form, but it jerked around when he called her name. She looked over at him in disdain, but did as he ordered. He curved one finger and beckoned her closer when she stopped a few feet away from him. He wasn't satisfied until she leaned forward close enough for him to whisper in her ear.

"Is this any way to show your gratitude, Lois?" He looked at her with a slight mocking smile and she gritted her teeth before answering.

"You were going to kill Oliver. I should be grateful for that?"

He creased his brow. "Is that what you think I was doing? I'm afraid you're wrong."

Her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Oh, really? Then what were you doing when it looked like you were about to rip out his heart? Stretching?"

He let his eyes linger on her lips. "All I remember is giving him the chance to join me and he did. And then I ordered his release. Isn't that what you wanted?"

She gave him an angry smile. "You have a really _shitty_ memory, Zod. There's a few key elements you conveniently forgot."

He carelessly shrugged one shoulder and looked around her at Oliver and Raina who were still watching them. "He's standing right there, alive and well. If that's a problem for you it's one that can easily be rectified." He let his eyes glow orange as he looked at Oliver and she hastily grabbed his arm.

"No, what are you doing? Stop!" She exhaled quickly and looked at him pleadingly. "Thank you for letting him live." Ugh, it killed her to say that. Her fist ached to plant itself across his jaw.

He smiled and let his eyes cool. "Kiss me, Lois. Show me how grateful you really are." He toyed with a lock of her hair that had fallen over a shoulder and tugged it lightly.

She was horrified. Oliver could not see her locking lips with Zod. It would be the most humiliating thing of her life. And he knew that, she fumed. She watched his eyes dart back to Oliver and took a deep breath.

"Fine," she hissed, and leaned over his seat and balanced herself on one of the arms. She couldn't look him in the eye as she bent her head. She just focused on his lips to alleviate some of the embarrassment and noticed unwillingly how nicely formed they were. Lois pressed hers against them.

If she hadn't hated him so much, she would've liked kissing him. More than liked it actually. He was a good kisser.

She jerked away angrily and glared at him. "There, satisfied?" No matter how good he was, she would never forget what he'd done to Clark, the man she loved and gave herself to. And Chloe.

His eyes were still laden with desire as she had pulled away from him too soon and his neck was flushed with color. "Hardly," he responded, his voice a tad husky as he shifted in his seat. His burning stare pinned her to the floor and she couldn't look away from him until she heard footsteps echoing and the two people watching them took their leave.

Oliver had seen that, she thought with embarrassment. What would he think of her? She was doing it for him so if he had a problem with it he could go to hell. She'd do whatever it took to keep her friends safe, especially since it was her fault most of them were dead.

"Are we done here?" Lois asked stiffly.

"Not by a long shot," he said, in a low voice, "but, you can go back to _our_ room if that's what you're asking." His eyes followed her form as she promptly turned and walked away. Oh, Lois, he thought, one day you'll want me and you won't even be able to help yourself.

XXXXXXXXXX

For the rest of the day, Zod devoted his every moment to the task of Raina. He met with Shor-Ra and gave him orders to follow Raina and find out what she was up to.

"I'm surprised actually," he commented, regarding the blonde man coolly, "I had thought that my two best lieutenants would naturally ally themselves with one another. Yet both of you seek human companionship. Curious."

Shor-Ra gave nothing away in his face. "I don't find the Kryptonian women acceptable. Raina and I are not suitable. Mara made her choice the second you announced that she was free to do so. Shara and Sonna…," he let his tone drift.

Zod raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with them? They are beautiful."

Shor-Ra still was expressionless. "To say that they don't like me would be an understatement. They are softer than the other two women. A man would need to be far different than myself to please them. Since they are also my fellow comrades it would make doing our jobs difficult."

"You already have a human don't you? How is that going? Does she fight you?"

Shor-Ra shook his head slowly. "I believe she is very smart. I actually killed two before her, accidentally of course. Our superior strength can make coupling with them difficult."

Zod wondered at that and thought of Lois.

"Anyway, she is more than willing to accommodate me since her living conditions are far better than they were in the camps. She sees it as a mutually beneficial arrangement. What about you, sir?"

Zod looked at him in slight surprise, not understanding his question.

"The human captive, Lois Lane. Kal-El's woman. She is yours now?"

Zod did not like that he called her Clark's woman. He hid his displeasure and shifted smoothly in his seat. "Yes, she is. It is only fitting that after my destruction of the House of El, I get the spoils of war." His cold smile stretched further. "I only wish that Kal-El were here to see everything unfold."

Shor-Ra inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Why didn't he join us? We were his brothers."

"Because," Zod practically spat, "he lived among _them_ too long."

The corner of Shor-Ra's mouth turned up very slightly. "Then we must be careful as well, sir, not to fall prey to the same affliction that befell Kal-El. Love of humans."

Zod's gaze sharpened and he studied his subordinate. Was he trying to insinuate something? He may have a vague sort of affection for Lois, but he would never be so pathetic as to actually love her. Humans had been studied for some time on Krypton and it was universally accepted that they were one of the lowest life forms in all of the known galaxies.

Because of that reason, he often wondered why Jor-El had sent his son to this planet. Was it to rule them? Or did he have some sort of affection for them?

"Yes," he agreed, rising to his feet. "But, regretfully I must go attend to other things. You know what to do?"

Shor-Ra nodded. Raina was a thorn in his side and he would never miss an opportunity to bring her down. "I do. I won't fail you, sir."

_I know you won't,_ he thought, walking past him and out through the doors that led down to his room, _because if you do, retribution will be swift and painful. _Zod rarely failed at anything he attempted and therefore expected the same from his men.

The sun never fully set now that it was so close to Earth, but most of the orange glow did fade away at night. He smiled to himself. It was actually more of a slight smirk. Now that he had spared Queen's life, Lois should be more than willing to give herself to him tonight.

He snorted inwardly as he walked slowly down the hall. Somehow he doubted that she would be. She was the most stubborn, pig-headed woman he'd met since his arrival here on Earth, but secretly he admired her spirit. Out of anyone he'd met here, she was the most like a Kryptonian woman. Unwaveringly loyal, kind to those deserving of it, and a warrior.

She reminded him of his late wife. He supposed that was one of the reasons he was drawn to her. Even now, thinking of Ursa sent a stabbing pang through his heart. To just wake up one morning and be told that his wife, son, and planet had been destroyed… it was almost too much to bear. And by now, they had already been dead thousands of years; whatever dust was left of their bodies now floated around in the cold, dead space.

Before he'd been murdered, Jor-El had told him that Ursa and his son had been killed in a raid on Kandor by enemy forces. Obliterated. And he hadn't been there to save them.

That's what kept him awake at night. Picturing his son's little body crushed and burned beyond recognition. That was the usual. Sometimes it was different. He pictured the both of them terrified, Ursa trying to run far away to save her son, but never having a chance. They'd probably been screaming for him.

His fist clenched. Tears glittered in his eyes and he stared straight ahead so that they didn't fall.

He preferred to think that their deaths happened so quickly they didn't feel a thing. That was what he told his men anyway. It wouldn't do to have them dwelling on all the different ways their families could've been murdered. Better for them to think they'd passed in their sleep.

Zod stopped in front of the door to his room and settled his thoughts. He had business to attend to with Lois Lane and it wouldn't do to be thinking of things melancholy.

Pushing the door open, he expected to see Lois sitting in a chair or pacing with a scowl on her face. Instead there was nothing. The room was empty and she was gone. His heart rate quickened and he stepped back out of the room. Every previous thought went out of his head as his whole body tensed.

His head turned to the guard that was posted at the end of the hall and he strode over to him quickly. "Where is she?" he gritted out.

"Who, sir?"

Zod clenched his hand again. "The prisoner. Lois Lane. Where is she?"

"I saw her enter your room, sir. She didn't come out. Should I alert the others?"

Zod raised his hand. "No, I will deal with this myself." He stormed back to the room and shut the door. That little… She was trying to escape. Even though she knew that there was none. She thought she could outsmart him.

He laughed coldly and it echoed lightly throughout the room.

If the guard had seen her enter yet she wasn't here now, it would stand to reason that she had found a way out from inside. And that would mean that somewhere around here there was a secret entryway.

He shifted to X-ray vision and methodically scanned, turning in place until he found what he was looking for.

"Oh, Lois," he laughed to himself quietly, "it was too easy."

He jerked the bookshelf off the wall and threw it behind him. Lois could clean it up later as punishment. He punched open the steel door to the hidden passageway and descended into a tunnel. It continued at a downward inclination until it slowly leveled off and went straight. He moved with lightning speed and then suddenly stopped as the tunnel was intersected by another one. Which way would Lois have gone?

The smart thing would've been to continue straight and he could see that there was indeed a ladder leading up to an exit about a half a mile away. But, a human would never be able to see that far in the dark. He turned his head to the left and saw nothing but tunnel wall leading away. To the right however was another ladder leading up to a steel-covered hole.

He stared at the space above and without any effort at all, shifted to X-ray vision. And just as abruptly, shifted out of it again. His fists once again clenched as he seethed in fury.

XXXXX

Lois gasped for air as she ran down the tunnel. Who would have thought that one day Lex's paranoid psychosis would help her out? She almost rolled her eyes at the very Lex-ness of it all. Only a Luthor would have a secret tunnel leading out of his bedroom. And that was exactly what she'd been counting on when she'd begun furiously searching every square inch of that place. Fortunately, she'd pegged Lex accurately and had found a weird looking lamp that didn't have a bulb. One yank on the metal dangling down and she'd been home-free.

Something changed up ahead and she slowed down. Great. The tunnel forked in three directions. But which one led out? She couldn't see anything but darkness more than a few feet ahead of her. She quickly looked around for a sign that would help her out.

There was a ladder leading up to a circular opening to her right. She bit her lip and considered her options. Then she sprinted over to it and climbed up. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she slid the lock out of place. It made a loud clanking sound and she cringed, holding her breath and hoping there was no one on the other side.

She opened the lid and gasped as her eyes refocused. Strong arms lifted her up and set her down on the concrete floor. "Oliver? What are you doing here? Where are we?"

He was breathing heavier than usual and a light sheen of sweat covered his brow. "The cellar. She-Hulk threw me in here after that business with Zod." He groaned and slumped against the wall. Lois rushed over and knelt down.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

He winced and grabbed his side. "That asshole who punched me earlier broke my ribs."

Damn Zod. She hated him. This was all his fault. She quickly helped Oliver to a reclining position on the cot and lifted up his shirt. Sure enough black and purple bruises covered his torso and she cursed.

"How did you get here? Where does that hole lead?"

"There was a secret door in Lex's room. I found it by accident."

Oliver clenched his jaw at the reminder of where she was staying. He had to ask but he knew that the truth might hurt. "Has he—I mean, did he-." He couldn't make himself form the words.

She reddened in embarrassment. "What? Force me to amuse myself with Lex's endless collection of philosophy books written by dead people a couple thousand years ago? Yeah, like every night since I've been here."

He chuckled and appreciated her 'Lois' answer. "Lois, we've only been here two days."

"Try reading Homer, Oliver. It'll feel like an eternity."

He groaned when she tried to help him sit up. "I actually like The Odyssey."

She paused to look at him and roll her eyes. "You prep school types, I swear," she muttered.

He put a hand over hers to gain her attention and when she looked at him, her stomach fluttered a tiny bit. He was gorgeous even when he was all beat up. Would she always love him?

Their time was over, she thought sadly with a sigh. Clark was the man for her even if he was dead.

The way Ollie was looking at her however was causing something to stir inside her. Something that could bring nothing but heartache. She pasted a smile on her face and tried to help him stand. That only brought his face closer to hers however and she swallowed.

"Lois," he whispered and was quickly silenced by a finger pressed against his lips.

"Don't Oliver." Her eyes pleaded with him to stop. "Just stand up and come with me. I'll help you. We can get out of here."

"The tunnel leads to Lex's room. How is that any better than here?"

She shook her head. "It branches out in three directions. I think if we head down the middle one it should lead out to the grounds."

"Lois, you were right."

She stopped moving and fully looked at him. "About what?"

"When I left you and you said that was the moment I'd always regret… you were right."

"Ollie-." Did he have a fever or something? He was burning up.

"There's never been anyone else for me but you," he whispered, raising one finger to lightly stroke her cheek.

It was bittersweet for Lois. Before Clark, all she'd wanted was for Oliver to realize his mistake and come back to her. She raised her hand to his and then clamped down on his fingers. Tears glittered in her eyes and it was so hard to say the next words that came out of her mouth.

"But, there has been for me." Her voice broke and a tear splashed onto his arm. "I love you, Ollie. I always will… but, I also love Clark. Even if he's…"

A little bit of light went out in his eyes. He opened his mouth to… he didn't know what, but he knew he couldn't let this go.

But, she stopped him. "Please, don't. I'm begging you because if you keep going I won't be able to stop myself from kissing you—,"

His eyes lit up.

"—but I'll still love Clark and you'll be hurt."

He stared at her for a second before exhaling a breath and throwing himself back against the cot. "Serves me right," he muttered bitterly.

She leaned over him. "Don't say that, Ollie. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Then kiss me," he asked softly, "Just once. Prove to me that you don't want to be with me."

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him off and she actually opened her mouth to do just that. But, his eyes… she wasn't cruel. She just couldn't say the words. His eyes were like pools of chocolate, begging her to just give him what he wanted and she bit her lip, unable to hold back anymore.

Lois lurched forward, hesitating a hairsbreadth away from his lips. He held his breath, about to close the distance between them. She was so close he could almost taste her again. He'd been dreaming of this moment for over two years. He _needed_ her.

"Don't stop on my account."

Both heads jerked over at the low, accented voice and Lois sucked in a breath, going pale.

"Zod."

They hadn't even heard him come in. The gaping hole next his feet told them which entrance he'd used.

"How'd you find me?"

He cocked his head with an arrogant smile on his face. "You can't escape me, Lois. What were the two of you going to do? Hide in a cave somewhere, surviving on roots and berries?"

He began pacing slowly in front of them, a scare tactic Lois knew well since her father used to do it all the time. They both stood up, neither of them missing the look in his eye at the two of them standing together.

Lois drew her courage and set her jaw. "We would've found some way."

Zod dismissed her with a look and zeroed in on Oliver. Lois felt him tense beside her.

"I spare your life, though you've been a thorn in my side since I met you, and this is how you repay my generosity? I'm surprised though I don't know why. I shouldn't have expected any different from your kind."

"It wasn't his fault," Lois broke in quickly, "I was the one who snuck in here. Don't do anything to him."

He looked at her coldly. "I will do as I like and there's nothing you can do to stop me. I should rip your heart out, Queen, for touching what is mine."

It dawned on Lois what Zod was really mad about, but from Oliver's face he'd already guessed awhile ago.

"You can't force someone to be with you, Zod. Lois is free to choose whoever she wants."

"From the conversation that I overheard it seems that she wants Clark Kent. The only problem with that is he's dead."

Oliver's fists clenched as he ached to wipe that arrogant smirk off Zod's face.

Zod continued. "But, you know, you're right, Queen. Lois should be free to choose who she wants to share her… _time_ with. So here's the choice." He directed his malicious smile to Lois. "You can _choose_ to be with Oliver Queen here," he gestured at him with one hand, "and if you do, I will dismember him limb by limb. I'll be generous though and give the two of you a few precious minutes before his death."

She was horrified at the mental picture that presented. "What's my other choice?" She hated how the lump in her throat was affecting her voice.

He smiled. "The other choice is this. You come to my bed willingly and never try to escape again. I will let Queen live—_again_—as long as you do not defy me."

She choked out an angry laugh. "That's very generous of you, _General_. Some choice."

Oliver grabbed her shoulder and jerked her around. "Lois, I would rather be tortured and killed than know you bartered yourself for my life. He's just going to kill me later anyway."

He was right about that, Zod thought. When he no longer needed Queen around, he would take great pleasure in ripping his lips off right before his heart.

She felt the tears run down her face as she looked at Zod hatefully. Then she turned and wrapped her arms around Oliver's neck. She pressed her lips to his ear and murmured in the lowest tones she could.

"I have to make this right."

His thoughts flashed again to the Legion ring and hated with all his soul that she was right.

And then she slid away from him and walked stiffly over to Zod. "You win. I'll do what you say, just don't hurt him."

He gave her a mocking bow. "I give you my word." He looked down at the opening and kicked the cover back over it, sealing it with a ring of fire from his eyes. Lois shielded herself with her arms. "Can't have any more escape attempts."

Then before she could struggle, he wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up effortlessly in a crushing embrace. After one last mocking look directed at Oliver Queen, they disappeared before his eyes, the wind ruffling his hair.

All the Kryptonians around the mansion could hear his howl of rage.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lois was alone again in Zod's room. She was so tired. Alternating between boredom and fear was emotionally taxing. After he'd super-speeded them away from the cellar, she'd expected to be forced to uphold her end of the agreement as soon as he tossed her onto the floor. He wasn't very gentle about it either.

But, he'd only squatted next to her and gripped her face tightly. Pain shot up her jaw. "Don't worry, Lois, I won't bother you tonight. I'd probably kill you. Accidentally of course," he added with a grin.

She didn't say anything.

He continued to stare at her, but something in his eyes subtly changed. "I knew that someone like you would never truly understand what I'm capable of. That you would think I have unlimited mercy."

Her entire face and demeanor was mutinous, but her voice shook slightly with fear. "Someone like me? You mean a human? If you hate humans so much then are you forcing me to do this?"

"Forcing you? I do remember giving you a choice. You _chose_ this."

Icy rage washed over her and she had to dig her nails into her palm to keep herself restrained. "Holding my friend's life over my head isn't giving me a choice. It's coercion."

He laughed softly. "A man like Queen would welcome death if it was between that and watching the woman he loves give herself to another. Another whom he hates."

She looked at him like he was something she'd never seen before. "I don't care what Oliver would prefer. I'm not going to be the one to make that choice. If you kill him, then it's because you wanted it, not me."

"I understand. You love your friends and family and don't want to feel their blood on your hands. And yet, even after you gave me your word, you tried to escape."

Movement behind Zod attracted her attention and she turned her head slightly. Her stomach plummeted to the floor.

"You remember Lucy don't you? Of course, you do. She's your sister."

Shor-Ra was holding Lucy's arm with one hand and awaiting further instructions. Zod stood up and broke eye contact with Lois.

"Lois?" The name was a whisper.

"Lucy?" Lois darted forward but Zod's arm blocked her.

"Stay still."

Icy cold fear trickled down her spine. She'd forgotten about Lucy and her promise to Zod in exchange for her sister's life. And the other things he'd said he would do to her if Lois didn't obey him.

"Well, this is a happy reunion," he commented lightly. "I've brought your sister here because I don't think you really believe me when I say I will kill someone you love if you don't learn your place."

"No, I believe you," Lois said, trying to stay calm. "I just agreed in the cellar. I promise."

He shook his head. "You attempted escape and therefore I consider our original agreement null and void. The new deal is only for Oliver Queen's life. Lucy, I'm afraid, wasn't a part of it."

Lucy was terrified. "Lois, what's he talking about?"

"Don't worry, Lu. Everything's going to be fine." Her head was buzzing with her own inner monologue contradicting what she'd just said.

Zod motioned to his soldier and Shor-Ra looked down at Lucy dispassionately. He tightened his grip on her arm until she shrieked in agony. Then there was an audible crack and Lucy fell to the floor, cradling her broken arm and screaming.

Lois tried to get to her, but Zod still barred her with his arm. She turned on him viciously, punching and kicking and attempting to gouge out his eyes, but all she got was a sprained wrist and broken nails. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her closer to her sobbing sister.

"Do you believe me now? The next time it will your precious Queen lying there, only instead of a broken arm, he'll have a broken heart." He gripped her hair tighter and jerked her face around to his. "And I'm not speaking metaphorically. I will crush it while it still beats in his chest and I'll make you watch."

He was mad, she realized. Angrier than she had thought he was. Furious actually.

"Did you want me to kill her now, sir?" Shor-Ra asked.

Lois eyes widened in panic. What could she do? How was she going to save Lucy?

"No," she choked out, "please."

He looked at her contemptuously and let go of her hair. To her credit she didn't massage her head. "And why should I spare her?"

She thought quickly. For some reason, all along he'd wanted her to come to him willingly. He didn't want to force her. That must be something she could use against him. Maybe he would feel triumphant, like he'd finally gotten his way. She looked down at Lucy who had passed out from the pain.

"Because," she whispered, wiping her face free of tears and steeling herself. Then without warning she turned and grabbed his shirt, kissing him hard on the lips.

It wasn't like their last kiss. She put everything into this one; all her pain, rage, and anger. Her hands entwined themselves through his hair, drawing him closer to her. And he was not unresponsive.

When she broke off the kiss, she flushed in humiliation as his eyes mocked her.

"Take the girl back to the camp after her wounds are tended to. Congratulations on your theatrical skills, Miss Lane. They saved your sister's life." He chuckled and walked away, not even bothering to lock the door behind him.

And why should he? she thought bitterly. She wasn't going anywhere.

Lois swallowed her distaste, but accepted her fate. Forming a relationship with Zod, any sort of relationship, was the only way to gain access to the ring, especially if Tess was after it as well. That could not happen. She had a score to settle once she was back in her own time.

She sat and reflected over what had happened with Lucy and Oliver and how frustrating it was that the only thing standing between her and freedom was one little ring slipping onto one little finger. Zod had left her alone so far, but she knew that after tonight, she wouldn't be so lucky anymore.

**Alright, so yes, I ripped off Ursa's name and put it on his dead wife, since I think in the comics they were actually married. Also, the Kryptonian names that the creators came up with are better than mine. I won't be talking about Ursa much anyway.**

**Next chapter is the first time they have sex and I'll need to get it perfect before I post it. Also, she'll start trying to get ahold of the ring starting next chapter as well.**

**Lois will not be getting pregnant in the future. **

**Zod will show one tiny selfless act of mercy and that will help Lois think of him in a slightly different light—at least until he's a dick again. LOL.**


	7. Chapter 7

Lois tested the door knob and found it unlocked in the morning. True to his word, Zod hadn't come back that night. She hadn't seen him since he walked out the previous day. Part of her really wanted to stop drawing attention to herself and just stay put. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

But, she had to know what had happened to her sister and so, wearing the same clothes that she'd been in for three days now, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

There was an extremely tall guard at the end of it, and she tensed, waiting for him to yell at her to get back in the room. But, he merely stared dispassionately. Gathering every ounce of courage she had, she squared her shoulders and walked right up to him.

"Excuse me? I'm looking for my sister." She started off polite under the circumstances, but firm. These freaks were not going to cow her no matter what they tried.

He just looked at her without interest.

Oh, so it was gonna be like that, was it? She gave him a snide look and spoke louder.

"Maybe you didn't hear me? I'm looking for sister, Lucy. She was dragged out of here yesterday with a broken arm. Ring any bells?"

Lois exhaled loudly when he still didn't answer her. "I know you guys have super-hearing... and apparently super-_douche_ness as well," she muttered. Pause. "Listen buddy, if you don't want to help me, fine. But at least tell me if she's still here."

Kor-Va didn't know what the word douche meant, but gleaned enough from her countenance and tone to infer that it was an insult. His expression grew steadily annoyed as she kept talking without taking a hint, and finally he growled in irritation. "I don't know where the human you seek is. Go away before I throw you back in that room."

She scowled at him and opened her mouth to retort, but just then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tess walking past. She raced to catch up with her, calling back to the guard, "Thanks for nothing."

"Tess." Lois fell in step next to her, hoping for an ounce of humanity in the other woman. Tess eyed her distastefully and ignored her. "I'm looking for my sister."

"Have you tried a shallow grave in the outskirts of town?" Tess asked mildly.

Lois grabbed her shoulder angrily to force Tess to look her in the eye, but Tess was fast. She had Lois' face planted into the wall and her arm twisted behind her back in three seconds.

"Don't touch me," Tess warned.

Lois chuckled darkly. Then, slammed the back of her head into Tess's nose, spinning around quickly when her arm was released. "You want to do this the hard way? Fine."

Tess wiped the blood trickling from her nose and glared at Lois. "I've been waiting to finish what we started a year ago, Lois." Her body coiled like a snake, ready to strike. "I'm gonna mop the floor with your face." Then she lunged at Lois and wrapped her arms around her midsection, slamming her back up against the wall.

Lois hissed at the pain and drew her knee up into Tess' stomach, then slammed it into her face. "Bring it on, bitch."

Suddenly, they were both aware of another presence in the corridor with them. Both women stopped fighting for a moment to look over at Raina, who leaned up against the wall casually as if observing a play.

Tess looked at her warily and then glared at Lois. "Zod's little plaything attacked me. I was just about to teach her a lesson."

Raina smiled coldly. "Soon you will one of us, yes?"

Tess gave a short nod, not quite sure what Raina was getting at.

"Well, Kryptonians fight to win and show no mercy," she responded, sliding a hand into the front of her uniform and withdrawing a thin flat blade that, when held correctly in a fist, it stuck out between two knuckles. The horizontal metal handle was easily palmed. Though it was altogether only about three inches, Lois knew that it could easily kill her if stuck in the right place.

Raina smiled and tossed it to Tess. She only hesitated for a second, before tightening her jaw in resolve and sliding the blade between her knuckles.

"I guess I don't get one," Lois muttered sarcastically, crouching slightly and waiting for Tess' move.

She lunged forward slashing and laughed when Lois jumped back to avoid getting cut. Lois was a little nervous now that Raina had joined their little soiree. She got the feeling that the black-haired woman would love to sneak up behind her and stab her in the back.

Thankfully, Lois managed to kick Tess' arm hard causing the blade to skid down the hallway. Then, just to make her day a little brighter, Lois kicked a foot right across Tess' face and grinned.

"It's pretty bad when you can't even kill an unarmed girl," Lois taunted through gasps for air.

Tess yelled angrily in embarrassment and leapt at her, fingers curved like talons as if to scratch Lois' eyes out. In the span of a heartbeat however, Tess collided with what felt like a steel wall and was knocked back unconscious onto the floor. Air billowed around Lois and she tried to shield her eyes.

When they opened again, her heart skipped a beat. Zod stood between her and Tess' prone form, staring at Raina with a less than amused look on his face. Raina was no longer casually leaning and her stance was now respectful... and tense.

"What, may I ask, is going on here?" He was calm but Lois knew enough about Zod to know that didn't mean anything.

Raina answered. "I found the two of them fighting. Tess was winning." That last part was added a maliciously.

"That's a lie," Lois angrily spat, "I was kicking her ass." For some reason, she could _not_ let Zod think she was losing to Tess. Her pride couldn't take any more wounding.

Zod abruptly held up a hand at which Lois stared, practically seeing red. Who the hell did he think he was? She was about to let all previous promises and vows of obedience fly out of her head, when Zod spoke, directing his question at Raina.

"You didn't think to stop them?"

Her eyes flickered. "It was equal. Tess _isn't_ one of us… even if she wants to be. I didn't think your humans were so pathetic that they couldn't handle a little fight."

Lois stepped forward furiously, her chest running into Zod's raised hand. It was like a steel bar. "Pathetic? Listen sister, I think I just kicked your little stooge's ass in a fight that was hardly fair. Don't get your panties in a twist just because it didn't turn out quite how you'd _hoped_."

Raina started forward with a snarl and Lois tried to get around Zod's hand, but he knocked his subordinate back and Lois was no match for his strength. Oddly enough, Raina was far easier to subdue than Lois because Zod was her superior. Respect and obedience was drilled into Kryptonian soldiers from birth. She knew her place if nothing else.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." Her tone was respectful, but the look she shared with Lois was definitely not.

Lois didn't back down and squared her jaw stubbornly. She hadn't forgotten that this was the woman who had Oliver in her clutches.

Zod dismissed her and she turned to walk away, but stopped with a small smile.

"I wanted to thank you, sir."

His eyes narrowed, but she continued. "For sparing my human's life. He is quite…," here her eyes flickered to Lois, "charming."

Lois went red and spat at her feet. The black-haired woman laughed and looked slyly at her general.

Zod thought Oliver Queen was anything but charming and he'd had about enough of Raina's annoying, petty jibes. It grated on him whenever Lois became agitated on Queen's behalf and Raina seemed to be instigating it. He quickly slammed her against the wall and spoke so that only she could hear.

"What are you playing at, Raina? Don't think that I don't know you're up to something."

Her temper flared and she could no longer bite her tongue . "And don't think that your human plaything cares anything for you. We've wiped out almost her entire species with you leading the charge, General. Nothing you could ever do will make up for that."

He was stunned by her audacity and for once was speechless as he tried to regroup his thoughts. What in the name of Rao was she talking about?

Raina continued bitterly. "Are you going to keep her? _If_ you have children? Or just get rid of _her_ and pretend that they aren't half human?" Her tone conveyed the disgust that thought invoked.

A good general never let the enemy know what he was thinking. Or friends who were trying to out maneuver him. His smile was cold and thin. "What I decide to do with her is none of your business." He leaned in close to her ear. "If I had wanted you, I would have you. But, I don't. Try for a little dignity, Raina."

Zod could see in her eyes that he had wounded her, but didn't care. He knew exactly what she was capable of and could not afford to be misunderstood. Lois could die because of it.

Angrily, she pushed him away and tried to regain some of her pride. "If that is all?" she asked stiffly and sped away in the blink of an eye when he inclined his head in assent.

Lois swallowed as she realized it was just the two of them now. He turned to her, still annoyed.

"What are you doing out here?"

Her mouth was dry but she raised her chin and answered. "I want to know what you did with my sister. If she's still here I want to see her." She held her breath and waited to be ridiculed for trying to demand _anything_, but it didn't come.

"Fine. Follow me." He turned and began walking in the direction she had originally started in.

After she was sure she had heard right, she stepped over Tess' unconscious form and walked quickly to catch up. "What? Why?"

She couldn't see his almost-hidden look of satisfaction. "Why shouldn't you see her? Her arm has been healed and she's as good as new."

Lois couldn't believe her ears and was instantly suspicious. "Why? And how did you heal her? Broken bones take at least six weeks to mend."

"Six weeks for humans, maybe," he answered pompously, "Under the red sun our bodies don't break or age or decay. Our blood is like an elixir for your kind. Her bones healed quickly."

"But, _why_ would you heal her? And why, if she's better, is she still here?" Lois didn't trust anything Zod did, whether it seemed good or not.

"What would be the point of not healing her? After all, her broken arm was for your benefit not hers. No need for her to suffer needlessly and if we had let it alone, her arm would have been useless, crushed beyond repair."

Lois snorted. "If you care so much about human suffering, why don't you let the ones in your little cattle pens outside have their lives back?"

He laughed and they turned a corner. She noticed a flash of gold at his throat and her heartbeat quickened. It was a reminder of the job she had to do.

As if he could read minds too, his expression flashed to one of predatory cunning. "Why don't _you_ tell me how the ring works? I've had it for a bit now and the urge to put it on is growing by the day."

He caught her so off guard with his question that she couldn't speak for a moment. Then, "Why haven't you?"

He shrugged as if it didn't matter. "I have what I want now and I don't wish to put that in jeopardy. What if I somehow traveled to another time where I was powerless?"

She sucked in a breath. So he knew what the ring did. If he ever gathered the courage to actually wear it, all would be lost. She had no idea what triggered it, but she had merely slid it partway on and popped up here. Zod was wearing it against his chest, touching it everyday, and yet was still here plaguing her.

Lois could only hope that if she actually succeeded in getting the ring away from him, it would work for her. She cleared her throat and replied nonchalantly.

"I doubt fate is that kind," she said with sweet sarcasm. "You could always let me test it out for you?" She held her hand out toward him, knowing he would deny her. Lois just liked being a pain in the ass to him.

"Your wit, Miss Lane, never ceases to amuse me." Zod scowled, stopping in front of a door and turning the knob.

The discussion was no longer important to her.

He opened it and Lois rushed past him, seeing to her relief that he hadn't been lying. Lucy was laying on a bed, covered in a sheet, and looked better than she had before her arm was broken.

She smiled and Lois rushed over to her. Zod planted himself by the door and made no secret that he was listening to their every word.

"Lois, I can't believe you're here. We thought you were dead when you disappeared."

Lois teared up instantly. "I'm sorry, Lu. I don't remember anything." She couldn't talk to Lucy about the ring while Zod was there.

"I don't have much time before they take me back to the farm," Lucy whispered, talking about the Kent farm that was now a camp that housed humans. "Whatever they want you to do, just do it, Lois. They're aren't like us. There's no way to fight against them."

Lois swallowed and whispered as softly as she could. "I'm going to find a way out of this, and when I do you're coming with me."

Lucy panicked and darted a look at Zod. "No, please Lois, whatever you're doing don't involve me. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. If you run, they kill you. No second chances."

What?

She couldn't believe her sister wouldn't even try. Lois nodded numbly after staring for a few moments. If her sister was telling her to stay put, then something was seriously wrong. Compared to Lucy, Lois was downright a homebody.

She gripped her sister's hand tightly and faked a smile. "Don't worry about me, Lu. You just take care of yourself and I'll see if we can talk again." She had to get out of there. She knew that her sister was only scared and being practical, but the concept of surrender was so foreign to Lois that Lucy almost seemed like a stranger now. To give in so easily…

She shook her head and walked out of the room, her thoughts so preoccupied with her sister that she barely even noticed Zod.

"Satisfied?"

She looked up and glared. "I'd be more satisfied if you and your group of maniacs would find some other planet to terrorize."

"It's not as if we had a choice," he pointed out. "And if Kal-El and his father hadn't tried to deny us what was rightfully ours, this all could have been peaceful."

He didn't miss the flash of pain across her face at the mention of Clark and he scowled. A part of him, the size of a sliver of wood, felt the tiniest bit of remorse for having caused it. But, the greater part of him couldn't understand why she would still have feelings for Clark. Or even what had attracted him to her in the first place.

Obviously, she liked a man with power and a hero complex. First Queen then Clark. Perhaps it would be far easier than he had previously imagined to gain her loyalty.

She stiffly walked beside him and tried to put as much distance between them as possible but it was hard in the narrow hallway. However, she couldn't miss this opportunity to find out more about her captor.

"How can the two of you come from the same place and be so different?"

He knew who she was comparing him to, but instead of getting angry, he merely smiled at her like she was a child who didn't know anything. They turned the corner to the hallway that lead back to his room.

"Kal-El betrayed us and chose humans over his own kind. It was pathetic how much he wanted to be one of you and yet never would."

Her temper rose. For once she couldn't wait to get back to the room where she wouldn't have to see his face anymore.

"Clark was a hero who saved the lives of countless people on a daily basis."

"Clark was weak," he snorted, "and narcissistic. He only loved this planet because he craved the power and glory that came with it. Any one of the humans he fought for would have gladly given him up to save their own lives."

Her jaw clenched briefly and she looked at him in derision. "You know nothing about humans or what we're capable of and one day that will be your downfall.

Something in her tone caught his attention and he paused in front of the door to his room to look at her. She looked back at him angrily and his stomach clenched with the familiar lust he'd come to associate with her. He'd felt it with Tess, but as many things do, it had drifted away from him after awhile. He'd continued to use her because it suited him, but he neither respected nor liked her that much.

Lois turned the doorknob quickly and slid inside, trying to close it before he entered. Feeling the wind against her face a second later told her she was too late.

He was standing in the middle of the darkened room. The curtains were drawn and there was a fire roaring in the hearth. Her stomach lurched.

"You lit a fire already?" He couldn't be that fast.

"I was on my way here when I heard the commotion in the hallway. I ordered the guard to have one started."

"Why did you stick up for me?" she said curiously with a slight edge to her voice.

He laughed outright, running a hand through his hair. He looked oddly boyish at that moment and once again Lois was confused. How could this man be such a monster and still look so innocent at times? He was truly alien to her.

His expression sobered and he eyed her thoughtfully. "You are referring to Raina. The argument between us." He walked close to her and she didn't move away. "She had thought that her and I would become... something more than what we are."

Lois was truly confused and couldn't hide it in her voice. His nearness was off-putting. "I don't get it. Why wouldn't you want her?" As psychotic as Raina was, it was her experience that beauty trumped mental stability when it came to men's opinions of women.

"She is beautiful," he agreed, lightly running the tip of his index finger over the strap of her tank top. "And a very exemplary soldier- until lately," he muttered offhandedly. Then he refocused on her and the fact that she hadn't knocked his hand away. "But, I don't wish to share my bed or my gene pool with her. Her last lover met with a very suspicious end."

Once again, she thought, how would that be a bad thing for her? She pasted on a false smile and looked up at him.

"Well, lucky me."

"Yes," he agreed, "lucky you."

This was her chance. His hand lingered close to her neck and she could feel her heartbeat speed up. There were no more Get Out of Jail Free cards left for her. She swallowed every ounce of the pride that was making her arm twitch with the need to punch him in the face (because, let's face it- his face would break her hand) and decided once and for all with an iron resolve what she was going to do.

Men had been doing it for thousands of years. There was nothing wrong with a girl using whatever she had in her toolbelt to get the job done. Nothing whatsoever.

Lois groaned inwardly. She hadn't ever had that much success in using her sex appeal as a method for distraction. Thanks Dad, she said silently, for my awesome tom-boy childhood.

Lucy would've already had the ring.

She swallowed. Then raised her hand slowly up until her fingers slid over Zod's. The air between them shifted though neither actually moved.

She stamped out the lingering residual echoes of her dying pride and raised her eyes confidently to Zod's. His burned fire, but she didn't move away. Somehow she knew that Zod, being the control freak that he was, wouldn't allow his Kryptonian powers to get away from him unless he allowed it. Hopefully, he wouldn't.

And, it was important that he not think she was afraid of him.

Her voice was low with fear and apprehension, but hopefully it would be interpreted as husky and seductive. "Let's stop with the pleasantries, shall we? We both know what you want."

Without taking her eyes off his, she slowly drew his hand up to her lips and kissed it. His skin was warm and felt oddly human.

Every signal in his brain was telling him to rip her clothes off and take her right then and there, but he merely twitched his head slightly to the side, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Why the change of heart? I had expected, despite your promises, more resistance than this." People rarely surprised Zod and when they did, he had to ferret out every detail to be fully satisfied.

"I thought this is what you wanted."

"Yes," he agreed, allowing her to continue stroking his fingers, "but you've made no secret of your distaste for me and my kind-,"

"Not your kind," she corrected, "just you."

Which confused him even more. What was her game? "Which brings me back to my previous question." Zod slid his other hand up over her shoulder to cradle the back of her neck. He made sure that his touch was very gentle.

She stiffened but didn't push him away. Her answer was hopefully suitable. She was counting on his prejudices against humans to work in her favor.

"I appreciate what you did for my sister. You could have left her one arm short but you didn't. Thank you." The dull buzzing in her ears was making it hard for her to hear him. Why couldn't they just get this over with?

He cocked an eyebrow, ever suspicious. "Given that I'm the one that caused her distress in the first place, I'm not quite sure how that endears me to you."

She shrugged. "I guess you don't know as much about humans as you think you do. We made a deal," – coercion, more like it- "and as far as I know, you've kept up your end of it. You have haven't you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He nodded slowly, knowing she wasn't talking about Lucy. "Queen is still alive."

"Barely," she muttered, forgetting herself for a moment. Hopefully, Oliver's broken bones weren't too bad. There wasn't much a person who wasn't invulnerable to pain could do for ribs anyway.

Zod had an idea and extricated himself from her grasp. He walked away toward the door and called for Kor-Va.

Lois had no idea what was going on, but a ball of dread coiled in her stomach. Had she misspoken? What was he going to do?

The guard who was always at the end of the hall appeared in the doorway looking stiff and serious as usual. "Yes, sir?"

Zod looked briefly at Lois and then back at him. "I want you to do something for me. Take some of your blood to the human in the prisoner's quarters and give it to him. If you encounter any resistance from the others tell them it's on my orders. If the prisoner resists, knock him out and then administer it."

He nodded and turned to leave.

Lois was dumbfounded and stood there silently as Zod closed and locked the door. She realized that he was beginning to unbutton his shirt, but it didn't really register in her brain. If the alien gave Oliver his blood, wouldn't that heal him?

Zod noticed her confused expression and chuckled, shrugging off his shirt. "I'm not a monster Lois, even though you think I am."

She gulped at his half-nakedness. Was it better or worse that he was so attractive? Would it make it easier?

He sobered his expression and softened his eyes. "I can't help that I'm different. Though we may look alike, we are not the same. When you attempted to escape I was so enraged that I wasn't thinking clearly."

He drew close and took her hand again. "I regret my actions regarding your sister... and Queen." That last part was difficult. He didn't regret _shit_ regarding Oliver.

She didn't believe him but was confused as to why he would lie.

"You don't have any idea what me and my people have been through," he whispered, raising her hand to his lips. "We were thrown into this world that we knew barely anything about with no idea as to what happened. Our families are all dead and our home planet, Krypton, destroyed."

She swallowed and shook her head. "You could've made this your home- at least tried to fit in."

He sneered. "And then what? Pretend to be humans for the rest of our lives? Attempting to avoid detection by your governments? Krypton lives on through us. How long before even that knowledge was gone? Two generations?"

"You didn't even try."

His temper was slowly starting to get the best of him and he tried reigning it in. "Until your planet has been blown up, I doubt you can fully understand our feelings."

She raised an eyebrow and refrained from saying the obvious. "You have them?"

"Of course." He gritted his teeth and then forced himself to calm down. "Lois, it's the way of everything, even on Earth, predator or prey. All things have their place. Your race was the dominant one in this world for a long time, but now things have changed. You can either accept that or die out trying to fight us."

Plastering another fake smile on, she glanced down for a second at the gold chain gleaming against his chest. Her frustration was mounting and she was about to lose her temper with him. He could make all the sense in the world, but nothing changed the fact that she would never accept his people's presence here.

"I understand your logic." She could tell that he was taken aback by her agreement with him. "Consider though what you would do if someone had come to your planet and killed and ravaged it. Would you have simply rolled over and played dead?"

His mouth turned up on one side. "Out of the twenty-eight known galaxies, Krypton was the greatest. We were the most technologically advanced _and_ the most feared and respected." He smiled and ran his fingertips along her cheek. "And the most hated. I wouldn't want to see a race that could have conquered us. It would be a terrible thing."

From what Clark had told her during the brief time they'd had together, she was fairly certain that Zod was telling the truth, despite his inflated ego. But, how could someone not have any empathy at all? How could he not feel that what he was doing was wrong?

Psychopath, she decided.

Zod saw the conflicting emotions across her face and smiled inwardly. Since she had not retorted he figured that he must have silenced her on the subject. An amazing feat indeed since she never shut up.

He lifted his arms up to his neck and slid the chain over his head, watching her face carefully. He knew the real reason she was so compliant today and it had nothing to do with his treatment of her sister or her ex-lover, but everything to do with her desire to get the ring back. He had half a mind to put it on right now and see what happened.

He was sure that it had time-traveling capabilities but he couldn't risk being transported to, oh say, a little over a year ago. He hadn't had powers then and he certainly didn't want to go through what he'd had to do to get them again. Too many of his people had been killed that night and it was only by Clark's mercy and misplaced goodwill that he had survived.

He saw her eyes widen slightly though she tried to pretend that she didn't notice. "I'm just going to put this away for safe keeping." Then before she could blink he was across the room, dropping the ring into a box and shutting the lid. In another blink he was right in front of her again, this time so close they were touching.

She gulped and tried to back up, but the bed hit the back of her knees and she had to steady herself to keep from falling. How was she going to get the ring now?

"Afraid I'm going to steal it away from you?" she challenged, jutting her chin out. Maybe he would feel like his manhood was threatened and put it back on.

Apparently, he was very secure with his manliness because he didn't say anything or move to go get it. He simply lifted his hand toward her face and stared down at her, his gaze like a magnet.

She nervously tried to back away, but found she had nowhere left to go. This was really going to happen. Her nerves, she was sure, were literally frying in her brain at this very moment. His fingertips ghosted over her cheek and down her throat, finally sliding back behind her neck. His hand was warm, almost hot. Her eyes collided with the expanse of his bare chest and once again her stomach turned over with nervous tension.

"What are you doing?" she asked stupidly. She felt like a deer in the headlights, stuck and unable to move.

"You know what I'm doing," Zod answered softly, yet confidently. Sex was something that he used to get what he wanted. He had never been unfaithful to his wife and had loved her more than any other except his son, but he also hadn't been above using his looks and charm to persuade women to do what he wanted.

It was only a matter of time before Lois succumbed, and being human probably meant she was emotionally weaker than the women of Krypton. Some part of him thought that would be a shame. It would ruin his image of her, if only slightly.

But, it was inevitable.

Zod gave her one last smile that was more of a smirk before he bent his head down to hers and kissed her. Out of instinct and aversion to everything about him, she tried to move away, but he'd had the foresight to keep his hand on the back of her neck. There was no escape.

After a few seconds of Lois being frozen in place, Zod darted the tip of his tongue out to graze her lips, moving his hands down both arms to pull her closer to him. He was trying to be careful so that he didn't break her, but sometimes it was hard. He remembered that Shor-ra had killed two humans accidentally.

"Come now Lois," he murmured against her mouth in between kisses, "You can do better than this."

God, he was the most hated thing she'd ever met. There was no way around it and no rationalizing it- she was a traitor. Willingly swapping spit with the destroyer of earth and the murderer of her friends and family.

The only thing that made her feel better was the thought of getting back to her own time and completely annihilating him and all of his friends. She would even forgive Clark for not trusting her. Together, they would kick Zod's ass all the back to whatever sociopathic galaxy he'd come from and then finally be together.

Grudgingly, she brought herself back to the present and focused on the man in front of her. It would take all sorts of cunning to get that ring and there was no one, in her opinion, more qualified. Growing up in her father's house had made her very adept at sneakiness- when the occasion called for it.

She took a breath and pressed herself closer to him, feeling him stiffen slightly in surprise. Opening her mouth, she allowed him in, mingling her tongue with his. Her fingers slid up his neck and lost themselves in his short dark hair, playing with it absently as he clutched her hip and brought her closer.

Suddenly, he broke off and stared at her.

She exhaled in frustration. God, one minute he was pawing her while she threw herself into her task, and the next he was back to the same old crazy suspicion of her motives. Her irritation mounted with each passing minute spent in his company.

"Listen," she began with an annoyed look on her face, "if we're doing this, it might as well be enjoyable. Right?" She spoke quickly to get the chit-chat over with.

It seemed to work because after one last suspicious look, he captured her mouth once again. His hands went to her waist, sliding up until he felt her bare skin. He felt her hands on him as well and it drove his desire up several more notches.

He groaned and slid her shirt up further, hating the fabric that was in his way. He broke off the kiss again determined to remedy that. The fastest way to his end goal was to simply rip the shirt itself right down the middle and that's what he did causing her to gasp in shock and surprise and just a bit of fear.

God, he was caveman.

Her breath was coming in short gasps, pushing her breasts up against the fabric of her bra as he eyed her like tiger about to pounce on a gazelle. She couldn't help but take a step backward. It didn't matter of course because he was right in front of her, invading her personal space again, in the blink of an eye.

Up until now, the touching hadn't been that intimate, but without her shirt the length of their torsos molded against one another with only the scant lace of her bra as protection. As abhorrent as kissing him actually was, at least when they were doing that she didn't have to endure his stare that seemed to have quite a bit of crazy behind it. So she grabbed his face once again and drew him back in.

While his lips were busy, with one of his free hands he unclasped her bra and jerked it off. He felt her pause and attempt to draw back but he didn't let her. Taking hold of her, he moved them with lightening fast speed to the bed.

She gasped and thankfully didn't shriek like she wanted to. "Don't do that," she hissed, ignoring his attempt to charm her with a smile. "Jeez." She put a hand over her racing heart and suddenly became very aware she was totally naked from the waist up.

He felt her stiffen and sighed. "I suppose my attempt to take your mind off things didn't work, did it?"

She looked at him oddly. "Why the hell would you want to take my mind off things?" God, he was so weird. Was Clark this way too? She'd always thought he was weird, but attributed it to growing up in Cornland. That would make anyone strange.

"You don't know much about men, do you?"

"I know plenty about men," she snapped.

His expression darkened. "Oh really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, between Clark Kent and Oliver Queen."

Was he calling her a slut? She bit her lip in a valiant effort to keep from spitting on him. Angrily, she retorted, "Oh that's nothing. Before Ollie it was Arthur- he loved fish _way_ too much though- and let's see, before him I ran through a few frat boys, some soldiers, -,"

"Enough," he ordered witheringly. He was pretty sure she was just trying to anger him and it was working. He wasn't someone who enjoyed sharing his things with others. "On Krypton women were not as promiscuous."

She smiled. "Your loss. I guess your precious Krypton didn't have everything, did it?"

His lips tightened. He was suddenly aware that his hand was still on her bare waist and gave her a thin smile. Slowly moving it up, he looked down and stopped just as the pad of his thumb touched the slow curve of her breast. She inhaled sharply.

"I demand respect, Lois, from all of my subjects."

"I'm not your subject. I'm your prisoner remember?"

She thought he would open his mouth and spew some lie about how he was really keeping her safe and that he never wanted this, but he surprised her by agreeing and it made her remember who she was really dealing with.

"Yes, you are my prisoner. Just because I allow you to live here instead of down in the cellar with your lover doesn't mean that I won't throw you back where I found you." He leaned close to her face, relishing the fear that crossed it and flicked his tongue out over her lips briefly. "In the muck at the Kent farm with the rest of your kind."

There was a strange glint in his eyes that scared her and she tried to calm him down before everything was lost.

"You're right," she said quietly, not moving, "You have shown yourself to be merciful and I haven't been very grateful. It would be stupid of me to make a martyr of myself."

She could feel his body relaxing against her and let out a barely audible sigh of relief. His fingers traveled down her stomach to the tops of her jeans. He slowly unbuttoned them, then unzipped the zipper. There was a challenge in his eyes as if he was waiting to see what she would do.

"We could be great together, Lois," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her neck. He opened his mouth and licked the sensitive flesh by her collarbone, all the while moving his hand lower, pushing down the tops of her jeans to grant him better access to her.

Zod was an extremely skilled lover and he knew precisely where to touch a woman, even an unwilling one, to get a reaction. Lois would be his tonight and she would damn well enjoy it. Her self-loathing once morning came could only work toward his advantage and allow him to further manipulate her. He couldn't afford to let even one person in his life be outside his control.

When he touched her he could feel and hear her reaction. It pleased him, though he wasn't egotistical enough to think it was of her own volition. Whatever the reason, knowing that she was responding to his touch made his own desire rise dramatically and he moaned against her neck, dragging his lips across her skin to her lips where he kissed her deeply.

His body was warmer than a human's. Being so close to him was causing a light flush along her chest just above her breasts and along her cheekbones. His fingers stroked her between her legs and without even meaning to, she parted them a little to give him better access and flexed her hand that was lying loosely upon him just barely into his back.

A human wouldn't have noticed the slight movement, but Zod smiled at the knowledge that he was getting to her. He moved with amazing dexterity and speed until, after only a couple minutes, her face contorted and he swallowed her moans with his mouth, relishing the feeling of her convulsing body under his.

Lois was very beautiful even when she wasn't lying naked in his bed, but after sexual release, even Zod had to concede she looked amazing. Her eyes were slightly glazed and chest was heaving, though she was valiantly trying to gain control of herself.

That wouldn't do, he thought. He liked it when Lois was speechless.

He shifted his weight to one side and unbuckled his pants. Now that he had his powers, all that was left of his Kryptonian heritage, not much could cause him to become out of breath. Except for sex. It was one of the few pleasures he had left in life on this accursed planet. Even with a red sun, it wasn't the same.

To maintain the balance of power, even in the bedroom, he stopped unbuttoning his pants to sit up on his knees and grip the edges of her waistband. He smiled at her and pulled them down, discarding them carelessly on the floor when he was finished. It was only fitting in this situation that she be fully naked first.

Lois couldn't tell from his expression what he was thinking and it was slightly unnerving. It wasn't like she gave a damn what he thought of her, but she didn't want to be humiliated. Being naked in front of anyone, especially your mortal enemy was horrible. She'd never had any complaints, but then again, she'd never slept with an alien from outer space before.

Oh God. She vowed to never say that phrase in that context ever again. It made her picture a naked green little man and she grew nauseous. The memories of what she'd just done were more than enough to make her sick. She didn't need to help her gag reflex out any more than necessary.

Focus, Lois. Stop the mental ramblings.

Zod stood up slowly and dropped his pants to the floor causing Lois to once again swallow hard. He was perfect and knew it. There was not an ounce of shyness about him, which was more than could be said about her. She expected him to get back into bed, but he surprised her by picking her up effortlessly and throwing her up against the wall, taking her breath away for a moment.

"Our first time should be unconventional, don't you think?" he whispered into her ear, running his lips across her cheekbone lightly.

Oh God. What the hell did he mean by 'unconventional'? If he was about to try some weird kinky alien stuff, the world could go screw itself. There was no way she would go through with that. Over his shoulder, her eyes caught sight of the box the Legion ring was in.

Clark, she thought, why didn't you trust me? I could've been gone from here already.

The pain and anger in her heart was swift and she hated it. Both emotions. Not even the fact that she was willingly letting Zod touch her could distract her from it.

"Did I hurt you?"

A low voice succeeded in doing what she couldn't by herself. It ripped her thoughts away from Clark and her pain and drew her attention back to her situation. Zod was staring at her and she was confused for a second until she realized that there were tears in her eyes.

"Not this time," she whispered absently. Then she did something that surprised both of them. She grabbed his face with both hands and brought hers down to his, kissing him hard and tightening her legs around his waist.

The air changed around them and he knew that she'd simply been submissive before. The Lois he'd been wanting all along had come out to play and it made his heart skip a beat in anticipation. He gripped her tighter, trying to keep some control over himself, but it was hard. Her hands ran over his shoulders and across his chest, digging her nails into the muscles below his collarbones and causing the blood to rush to his cock.

She moaned and threw her head back against the wall as he placed himself at her entrance and pushed forward. Zod didn't give her time to adjust to him or to become used to the idea of being with him sexually. He simply thrust up until he was buried to the hilt and exhaled through is nose.

He moved inside her slowly at first, wanting to savor the moment. His hand slid from her waist up to a breast, pressing hard and bending his head to taste it. The only thought going through his head was the craving to be deeper in her and he thrust faster.

Lois was no longer in her right mind. In those few moments of time, all she wanted was Zod. There was no Clark, Chloe, Oliver, or Legion ring. There wasn't even a world. There was only what her body was feeling and how she could prolong it.

Zod broke off and moved quickly away from the wall to the bed, instinctively keeping his body from crushing her, but never stopping their rhythm. He stretched out over her and braced his weight on his forearms, grabbing her leg that was slung low around his hips and hooking it over his shoulder.

He drove deeper into her, his desire mounting until he lost control of his abilities, moving faster than humanly possible inside her. The pressure behind his eyes was increasing and just as he came, he turned his head to the side and opened his eyes.

Three successive bolts of fire shot from them and exploded a dresser in the corner. He collapsed on the bed next to Lois and stared up at the ceiling, breathing rapidly.

Lois had no idea what had just exploded. She assumed the sound had simply been in her head when she came once again, but glancing over at the charred remains of a piece of furniture in the corner of the room she guessed not.

Sorry, Lex.

Her breathing took far longer than Zod's to come back down to a normal pace. He was already up and walking naked over to a pitcher of water across the room. He wiped his mouth nonchalantly after he was done drinking and then opened the box beside it to check on the ring.

Jeez, paranoid much?, she thought in derision. He didn't put it back on though. Just turned back around to stare at her with that look that always put her on edge and drunk slowly from the glass he held in his hand.

Then he walked back to the bed where she didn't dare move a muscle and eased back as if nothing had happened between them. Glad, you enjoyed yourself, she thought in irritation. Don't expect an encore.

He sighed and stretched his arms out above his head, turning ever so slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye. He smiled at her very obvious discomfort in the aftermath of what they'd just done. She already had a white sheet draped over her body to prevent him from seeing her, he though in amusement. He could rip it away from her if he chose, but he'd let her keep it for now.

No one could ever say that Zod wasn't merciful and compassionate.

She rolled over so that she wouldn't have to endure his scrutiny and stared at the wall across the room by the door. Then a thought occurred to her. Great. She didn't have a shirt anymore since General _Ass_ had ripped it off her. Would he give her another one? Or make her beg?

Somewhere in the mansion Oliver was here. That knowledge made her feel better and worse at the same time. What would he think of her now?


End file.
